All airports are safe, says Liow

All airports are safe, says Liow

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has assured Malaysians that airports in the country are safe following tight security.

 "The airports are safe, and we will we will continue to strengthen our security," he told reporters after the launch of the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Sungai Long Campus).

This follows the Feb 13 murder of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2).

The 45-year-old half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was killed at KLIA2 when two women swiped his face with a liquid. 

The liquid has since been identified as the deadly nerve agent VX, a banned chemical weapon of mass destruction.

The airport was declared cleared of any trace of the VX nerve agent after a sweep by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), the Fire and Rescue Department and police early Sunday.

~News courtesy of The Star~

4,000 lanterns add to festive air in Penang

4,000 lanterns add to festive air in Penang



Path of prosperity: Lanterns brightening the way along Jalan Pasar in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Motorists travelling along several roads here will be greeted by 4,000 red lanterns put up by various associations and business owners in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

The satin lanterns with golden tassels can be seen along Jalan Pasar, Jalan Teh Cheok Sah, Jalan Datuk Ooi Chooi Cheng and Jalan Danby, giving the areas a festive atmosphere. Shop owners also joined in to brighten the mood by putting up red decorations at the entrances.

Penang Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Chong Eng said funding for the lanterns came from donations and also a RM40,000 allocation from her.

“So far, we’ve collected about RM260,000 in donations and whatever left over will be used to organise a drum festival to be held in the middle of the year.

“We hope to increase awareness on local culture and promote heritage value with such programmes,” she said before switching on the lanterns on Saturday night.

Thousands of people gathered in Jalan Pasar to witness the event. They also had fun watching the cultural dances and a lion dance on stilts performance.

The red lanterns, which will be up until mid-February, are lit from 7.30pm to 12.30am daily.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Tourism industry ecstatic at Penang making it into CNN Travel list

Tourism industry ecstatic at Penang making it into CNN Travel list



Hot spot: Foreign and local tourists alike strolling along the narrow streets in the George Town heritage enclave in search of good food, murals and bargains in Penang.

Tourism industry players are excited and pleased with Penang being named by CNN Travel as one of the 17 best places to visit in 2017.

Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter chairman Khoo Boo Lim said it was always good to be recognised inter­nationally.

“The accolade is a ‘strong’ marketing tool for hoteliers and agents to promote the state overseas.

“This will definitely help us to bring in more tourists who are keen to find out more about Penang. I am really happy about it,” he said.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had earlier said that the naming of Penang by CNN Travel makes Penang and Malaysia proud.

“This is good news to start the new year.

“I would like to congratulate and thank Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for his help in promoting Penang’s tourism to the world,” he said.

Penang came in second after Prince Edward Island of Canada, and is one of the three destinations in Asia named on the list.

Penang has been described in the CNN Travel article (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/06/travel/best-places-to-visit-in-2017/) published on Friday as a destination with one of Asia’s best street foods.

The article said Penang was arguably one of Asia’s best street food destinations. It offers a mix of traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes, as well as fusion cuisines such as Baba Nyonya, or Peranakan, which incorporates regional ingredients and Chinese and Malay cooking methods.

Association of Tourism Attrac­tions Penang chairman Ch’ng Huck Theng said the industry players and state government had been working very hard to protect and promote the beauty of the state.

“We are reaping the rewards after years of hard work. We are also placed on top of many other lists for our food, culture, arts and the people,” he said.

Penang Hawker Association chairman Lam Tong Ying said he was proud that Penang made it into the list, especially with emphasis on Penang’s hawker food.

“Penang serves the best street food in Malaysia, and this is not the only thing we have, we also have nice food, nice scenery, nice seaside and nice people.

“These are what tourists love Penang for,” he added.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Happy New Year 2017

Penang Hill needs cable car connection, says Nazri

Penang Hill needs cable car connection, says Nazri

Penang Hill is in dire need of a cable car connection and the Tourism and Culture Ministry has been applying for the RM325mil funds needed to build it.

"We have been applying since two years ago and we will keep putting it in the budget proposals until the Government has enough money for it," said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (pic).

He said the cable car was not only a tourist attraction but also a mode of transportation.

"It starts from the Penang Botanic Gardens. The first leg goes up to the hill and from there, passengers can take another cable car to Teluk Bahang.

"It will be faster than driving," said Nazri, adding that the planned cable car station in Teluk Bahang will be located close to the Escape theme park and Entopia, formerly Penang Butterfly Farm.

Mohd Nazri said the number of visitors to Penang Hill has increased from 200,000 in 2008 to 1.6 million this year.

"We know how badly the cable car is needed.

"It only depends on Government income. Sooner or later, the price of oil will go up again and we will have the budget for it."

Nazri was speaking to reporters after opening THE TOP@Komtar.

The rejuvenation of this 31-year-old landmark icon now includes an observatory deck on Level 65 and a glass skywalk in the new rooftop on Level 68, on top of a myriad of carnival attractions in Level Five that is accessible through Komtar's Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong side.

"This old building has gone through an amazing transformation. We are listing Komtar now as a must-visit place in all our promotional literature of Penang," he said.

Komtar underwent a revitalisation programme after Only World Group, a listed company specialising in building theme parks and tourism attractions, won a 45-year lease of about 300,000 sq ft of floor space in the building.

Also at the launching were Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and several local government leaders and businessmen.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Trishaw a firm favourite in the old part of George Town

Trishaw a firm favourite in the old part of George Town



Iconic draw: Tourists walking past a row of trishaws lining the Swenttenham Pier entrance as the ‘Mein Schiff I’ berths for the day in the background.

The modernity of planes and cars has not rendered obsolete that old port city feel of Penang.

People still love to visit by ship and when they get here, they still want to use the trishaws, an icon of the island.

A whopping 22 cruise ships will be calling on Swettenham Pier this month alone and it has become almost a daily sight to see fleets of trishaws lining the pier entrance.

Trishaw fleet owner Saw Chin Choon said tour companies organising day trips for the passengers would book up to about 100 trishaw trips from him when the ships arrive.

“We take the passengers to Khoo Kongsi or the Peranakan Mansion, anywhere in the heritage hub that the tour companies organise. It is usually a two-hour excursion. We take the passengers out three times a day,” he said.

Saw added that his riders were booked all the way until March.

A Penang Port Sdn Bhd spokesman said the pier would see between 80,000 and 100,000 cruise ship passengers and crew members in December alone.

He said yesterday that Mein Schiff I and Superstar Gemini came from Singapore with a total of almost 4,000 passengers and crew.

“Every week, four to five cruise ships are calling and this doesn’t include Superstar Libra and Amusement World, which have their homeport here,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

AirAsia to deploy 84 more flights this CNY

AirAsia to deploy 84 more flights this CNY

There’s good news for travellers with more flights servicing selected domestic and international routes ahead of the Chinese New Year festive period.

AirAsia Berhad will deploy an additional 84 flights from Jan 25 to Feb 1.

“We would like to encourage travellers to book their flights early for the upcoming festive season,” said AirAsia’s head of commercial Spencer Lee in a statement.

“These flights will have an added capacity of 15,000 seats to facilitate the high demand of air travel during that period.”

Among the routes are from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, Penang, Sibu and Tawau, as well as from Penang to Singapore and from Johor Baru to Miri and Sibu.

“Whether it’s a family reunion or a quick getaway, we hope that these additional flights with everyday low fares will help everyone to have a memorable Chinese New Year celebration,” Lee added.

Travellers are advised to book their flights early at airasia.com or through the airline’s mobile app on the iPhone and android devices. For more information, follow AirAsia on Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia) and Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia).

~News courtesy of The Star~