Subject: Awesome....Planet Earth !!
If our planet is so beautiful,makes me wonder why some are set on destroying themselves and such beauty.
Every now and then something truly beautiful is passed along on The Net.
I believe this to be one of them. To enjoy just logon to........
http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html
NO LIES... JUST THE FACTS!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
VISA APPLICATION MADE EASY
The Tourism Ministry has decided to make applications for visa easier for tourists to encourage more arrivals.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said tourists who wished to come to Malaysia could go to locally appointed representatives to apply for their visas instead of the consulates.
According to the Minister, the visa facilitation system (VFS) will become the “better alternative” for tourists from China and India where Malaysian consulates were located only in certain areas.
“People living in cities without Malaysian consulates will be able get their visas without the hassle,” she said before launching the 1Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival here yesterday.
“Applicants will need to pay a small fee to the appointed tour agents for their visas but they still can apply directly to a Malaysian consulate,” she added.
Dr Ng said the VFS has been available in India for two months with an international tourism company.
The ministry will broach the idea to have the VFS pilot project launched in China to its Tourism Minister Shao Qiwei when he visits the country today.
Dr Ng said the Government’s decision to cancel the issuance of visa on arrival (VOA) to foreign tourists at the country’s entry points on Aug 15 would not affect the tourism industry as out of the 24 million tourists entering the country last year, only 9,000 had to apply for the VOAs.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said tourists who wished to come to Malaysia could go to locally appointed representatives to apply for their visas instead of the consulates.
According to the Minister, the visa facilitation system (VFS) will become the “better alternative” for tourists from China and India where Malaysian consulates were located only in certain areas.
“People living in cities without Malaysian consulates will be able get their visas without the hassle,” she said before launching the 1Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival here yesterday.
“Applicants will need to pay a small fee to the appointed tour agents for their visas but they still can apply directly to a Malaysian consulate,” she added.
Dr Ng said the VFS has been available in India for two months with an international tourism company.
The ministry will broach the idea to have the VFS pilot project launched in China to its Tourism Minister Shao Qiwei when he visits the country today.
Dr Ng said the Government’s decision to cancel the issuance of visa on arrival (VOA) to foreign tourists at the country’s entry points on Aug 15 would not affect the tourism industry as out of the 24 million tourists entering the country last year, only 9,000 had to apply for the VOAs.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
VOA DISCONTINUED
The government has decided not to revive the issuance of visa on arrival (VOA) to foreign tourists at the entry points into the country, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the move to revoke the implementation of the VOA was due to the fact that the facility was being abused previously.
"In the past, we gave flexibility to several nations if their visitors came to this country, they don't have the visa...(but) the visa could be issued to them upon arrival at the entry point into Malaysia.
"We notice that this (VOA) was being abused and so on. We agreed that the VOA be revoked or discontinued, " he said.
He said this after chairing the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants, here on Monday.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the move to revoke the implementation of the VOA was due to the fact that the facility was being abused previously.
"In the past, we gave flexibility to several nations if their visitors came to this country, they don't have the visa...(but) the visa could be issued to them upon arrival at the entry point into Malaysia.
"We notice that this (VOA) was being abused and so on. We agreed that the VOA be revoked or discontinued, " he said.
He said this after chairing the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants, here on Monday.
Monday, August 2, 2010
35% OF TOURISM INCOME FROM SHOPPING IN 2020
The Tourism Ministry is targeting to achieve 35 per cent of income generated by the tourism industry from shopping activities by the year 2020, said its deputy minister, Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit.
He said more aggressive efforts were needed from entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, including owners of shopping outlets, by intensifying promotion outside the country to turn Malaysia into a leading shopping destination regionally and internationally.
"Currently, Singapore and Hong Kong are still among the favourite shopping destinations for tourists recording 35 per cent of their tourism income, with Hong Kong recording almost 55 per cent, and we want to achieve the 35 per cent mark by 2020," he said at the launching the Sarawak level of the Malaysian Mega Cheap Sale Carnival 2020, at the Sarawak Plaza shopping centre, here today.
He said that in terms of income generated by the tourism industry last year,28.3 per cent or RM15.11 billion of the RM53.4 billion overall income came from shopping while 31.1 per cent came from accommodation and 17.4 per cent from food and beverage.
The Mega Sale attracted 6.3 million tourists which was an increase of 12.4 per cent compared to the figure recorded in 2008, where Malaysia only received 5.37 million tourists, he added.
He said more aggressive efforts were needed from entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, including owners of shopping outlets, by intensifying promotion outside the country to turn Malaysia into a leading shopping destination regionally and internationally.
"Currently, Singapore and Hong Kong are still among the favourite shopping destinations for tourists recording 35 per cent of their tourism income, with Hong Kong recording almost 55 per cent, and we want to achieve the 35 per cent mark by 2020," he said at the launching the Sarawak level of the Malaysian Mega Cheap Sale Carnival 2020, at the Sarawak Plaza shopping centre, here today.
He said that in terms of income generated by the tourism industry last year,28.3 per cent or RM15.11 billion of the RM53.4 billion overall income came from shopping while 31.1 per cent came from accommodation and 17.4 per cent from food and beverage.
The Mega Sale attracted 6.3 million tourists which was an increase of 12.4 per cent compared to the figure recorded in 2008, where Malaysia only received 5.37 million tourists, he added.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
ARRIVAL GROWTH STRONGER
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) released the preliminary Asia and the Pacific international visitor arrivals figures for the months of April and May 2010, showing year-on-year growth in arrivals of seven per cent and 16% respectively. For the first five months of 2010, international visitor arrivals to the region grew by a robust 10% as compared to the same period last year.
The improving global economic environment continued to boost overall travel demand in April and May. However, there was a noticeable impact on air travel caused by the ash cloud from Iceland’s volcanic eruption, which dampened arrival flows to and from Europe.
Growth was much stronger in May with the end of the ash cloud problem in Europe and the Labour Day holiday in China (PRC); however, it must be remembered that this monthly comparison is against a lower arrivals base in May 2009 when the travel industry, already down from the global recession, was hit further by the spread of the A (H1N1) flu.
International arrivals to South Asia grew by four per cent and 19% in April and May respectively, with the continuously improving safety and security situation helping to boost arrivals to the sub-region.
Sri Lanka, one year on from the end of the decades-long civil war, continues to record robust growth in arrivals in April and May, at year-on-year rates of 47% and 42% respectively.
For the first five months of the year, arrivals to South Asia surged 15%; the fastest in terms of rate of growth among the sub-regions under review.
The improving global economic environment continued to boost overall travel demand in April and May. However, there was a noticeable impact on air travel caused by the ash cloud from Iceland’s volcanic eruption, which dampened arrival flows to and from Europe.
Growth was much stronger in May with the end of the ash cloud problem in Europe and the Labour Day holiday in China (PRC); however, it must be remembered that this monthly comparison is against a lower arrivals base in May 2009 when the travel industry, already down from the global recession, was hit further by the spread of the A (H1N1) flu.
International arrivals to South Asia grew by four per cent and 19% in April and May respectively, with the continuously improving safety and security situation helping to boost arrivals to the sub-region.
Sri Lanka, one year on from the end of the decades-long civil war, continues to record robust growth in arrivals in April and May, at year-on-year rates of 47% and 42% respectively.
For the first five months of the year, arrivals to South Asia surged 15%; the fastest in terms of rate of growth among the sub-regions under review.
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