Malaysia-Holidays-4u

The Penang Hill funicular train service has been suspended for a day due to mechanical failure and the authorities are investigating the possibility of sabotage.

Penang Hill Corporation senior assistant manager Anne Goh said the mechanical failure was due to damage to an electrical connector, caused by a collision with an object at 4.30pm Tuesday.

“Initial reports stated that the collision was caused by stray dogs.

“However, this has given rise to suspicions and further investigations will be carried out to determine the actual cause, including the possibility of sabotage,” she said in a statement Wednesday.

She said the train service was closed for repair works from 7pm Tuesday.

“Repair work has been hampered by lack of spare parts from the train supplier. The full inventory of spares has still not been given.

“The situation is aggravated by lack of information in dealing with the supplier,” she said.

Visitors are advised to check with the corporation at 04-8288880/8288861 for latest updates.

The funicular train resumed operations nine days ago after undergoing a RM73mil upgrade. It is said to be the fastest such service in Southeast Asia.

The service was suspended on Feb 25 last year, following repeated problems with the old system.

Source : The Star

Penang Hill will soon be turned into a no-smoking zone.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the move was necessary to ensure a sustainable environment and also to protect the hill.

He added that Penang Hill Corpo-ration (PHC) director Datuk Lee Kah Choon will work with the Health Ministry to gazette the hill into a non-smoking zone.

“Penang Hill will be the first smoke-free destination in Penang. We hope visitors will co-operate with us.

“Of course, we might consider setting up a designated area for smokers,” he said last night after officiating the resuming of service of the Penang Hill funicular train.

Lee, who was also present, said it was necessary to take care of the flo-ra and fauna to preserve the hill, adding that anyone caught smoking in a non-smoking area would be fined RM500 by the ministry.

The long-awaited Penang Hill fu-nicular train service was finally opened to the public today.

The ride will run for charity in the first six days with a return fare of RM10 for adults. Children below 12 ride for free.

Proceeds from the charity tickets will go to the Penang Welfare Department to help underprivileged folk identified by the state.

Lim, who is also PHC’s board of directors head, said he was relieved that the service was ready .

He added that the average speed for the two air-conditioned Swiss-made coaches was seven to 10 minutes for each one-way trip and the coaches could carry up to 100 passengers per trip.

The revamped Penang Hill service will run from 6.30am to 9pm daily.

The service was suspended last year for the RM73mil upgrading project by the Tourism Minis-try.

It was reported that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the faster speed and new coaches would enable 2.4 million tourists to visit the hill annually compared to 607,198 in 2009.

Source : The Star

The new Penang Hill funicular train service will be opened to the public from April 25.

Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) director Datuk Lee Kah Choon said the train will run for charity for the first six days until April 30.

“For a contribution of RM10 (return ticket), you can enjoy a 10-minute ride on Penang Hill’s new funicular train.

“The proceeds from the charity sale of tickets will be channelled to the Penang State Welfare for donation to the underprivileged identified by the state government,” said Lee, adding that children below the age of 12 years could enjoy the ride for free during the period.

Lee was speaking to reporters in a press conference here Thursday to announce the new train fares effective May 1.

For Malaysians, the fare for a return ticket is RM8 per adult and RM4 per child aged between three and 12.

Senior citizens will enjoy cheaper fares at RM4 per person.

The ride continues to remain free of charge for disabled persons holding the OKU card.

Also unchanged are the fares for Penang Hill residents, licensed traders and hawkers and workers, who can purchase monthly season pass at RM24.

The blue, air-conditioned Swiss-made coaches, capable of ferrying up to 100 passengers at one go, will run every half hour from 6.30am to 9pm daily.

The new RM73mil system replaces the 87-year-old funicular railway, which was closed in February last year.

Source : The Star

THE National Tourism Council Malaysia (NTCM) with support from the Tourism Ministry will be organising the first Luxury Tourism Fair 2011 (LuxtoFair ‘11).

Focusing on lifestyle and luxury tourism, the event will showcase high-end tourism products and services, including exclusive holiday packages to sought-after destinations, premier airlines and cruises, luxury accommodations, spas, health retreats and other unique experiences.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur recently, NTCM president and LuxtoFair organising committee chairman Datuk Shamsul Falak Abdul Kadir said this was the first time such an event was being held in Malaysia.

Prestigious: (From left) Asia Fairs Sdn Bhd managing director Steven Thong, Shamsul, NTCM vice president Mohd Ayub Hassan and Ingress Auto general manager Jimmy Gan at the press conference to announce the fair.

“Last year, the global tourism receipt totalled up to US$850bil (RM2.55tril).

“While 97% of tourists spend an average of US$600 (RM1,800), the top three percent of tourists spend an average of US$5,000 (RM15,000),” he said, adding that these high-end travellers contribute about 20% of the total revenue.

“This is why we wanted to organize this fair to cater to the upper segment market.

“We are targeting more affluent travelers, including entrepreneurs, professionals, elites, socialites, embassies, expatriates and others,” he said.

The fair would also provide a platform for companies to promote their high-end products and services to the public, as many people were not aware such products and services existed.

So far, 70 of the 100 booths available have been taken up.

“Although we also have packages to international destinations, we expect to see a strong participation by local and regional players such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tourism Indonesia, and Tourism Australia,” he said.

He added that they expected the event to bring in 8,000 quality visitors.

The fair will feature exciting stage presentations performances, consumer contests, lucky draws as well as talks on various topics by relevant speakers.

Official partners Maybank, MasterCard, Malaysia Airlines and Ingress Motors will also be offering various deals and promotions at the fair.

The LuxtoFair 2011 will be held from 10am to 8pm daily from May 20 to 21, and 10 am to 7pm on May 22 at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Admission tickets are priced at RM10.

For enquiries, call 03-9283 2268 or 019-3611972

Source : The Star

In an effort to fight littering, the Tourism Ministry will implement the 1Malaysia Green 1Malaysia Clean campaign after each of its major tourism events this year.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the campaign was aimed at creating greater awareness on the problem which followed major public events, with trash strewn across the venue.

“Our campaign carries the tagline ‘Think Tourism, Act Tourism’ and this is what we want to inculcate in the mind of every Malaysian,” she said at the launching of the campaign for Selangor at Sunway Pyramid here yesterday.

The text of her speech was read by ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng.

Through the campaign, the ministry hoped to change the mindset, habit and attitude of Malaysians toward cleanliness.

Dr Ng said the campaign went well with the ministry’s aim of promoting Malaysia as a high-class tourist destination, adding that it was everyone’s responsibility to keep the country clean and green.

She said Malaysia had achieved a record number of tourist arrivals of 24.6 million last year, up from 23.7 million in 2009. The tourist arrivals generated a total of RM56.5bil in receipts last year compared with RM53.4bil the previous year.

“The future of our tourism industry is bright, as long as we work together in preserving our surroundings. Our goal is not just to have a clean environment, but also an environment that could be sustained for future generations,” Dr Ng added.

The campaign for Selangor is a collaborative effort with the Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association and plastic product manufacturer Sekoplas Industries Sdn Bhd.

Association president Lim Kok Boon said its role in the campaign was to encourage the public to practise the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

He said litter was not just an eyesore that showed Malaysia in a bad light to foreign tourists, but it also affected the environment.

Source : The Star

Airline companies have agreed to refund passengers for the flights to Japan that they had missed following the strong earthquake and tsunami there last week, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Tour package operators have decided to charge an administrative cost of a maximum RM200 per passenger and return the balance, she added.

Both the airlines and travel operators, she said, arrived at the decision during a meeting with the ministry three days after the disaster struck Japan.

Among those who attended the meeting were representatives from AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Singa­­­­­­­­pore Airlines, Japan Airlines and Malay­sian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA).

“Airline companies have agreed to give a full refund without any penalty or customers may convert the charges into credit for their next flight,” she told reporters after attending the FIA Conference Week 2011 at Mandarin Oriental yesterday.

Dr Ng added that the refund was applicable for flights from March 11, the day the massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, until next month but the time period varied according to different airline companies.

On March 16, The Star reported that the ministry will meet with the respective operators after receiving several complaints from the public about losing their deposits after purchasing tour packages to Japan.

“We will meet again early next month to discuss the situation in Japan and see if there is a need to extend the time period,” she added.

On allegations by Integrated Strategic Communications (ISC) that Tourism Malaysia’s tender process was ambiguous based on complaints by several individuals, Dr Ng challenged the body to reveal the names of the individuals.

If ISC provided the names, she said, the ministry would be able to investigate and take the necessary action.

Source : The Star

Malaysia’s move to waive visas for Taiwanese can attract more tourists, said Taipei Investors Association in Malaysia (TIAM) honorary president Datuk Dr Ting Chung Cheng.

“I believe the move is very favourable to our cooperation, especially in economy, trade and tourism,” said the Taiwanese.

Dr Ting added that the trade value between the two countries was RM14bil last year, while tourist arrivals from Taiwan were more than 210,000.

“Such figures show that Malaysia is one of Taiwan’s important trading partners and we are thankful to the Malaysian government for the new measure,” he said.

On Friday, Taiwan Foreign Minister Timothy Yang Chin-Tien announced that Malaysia had agreed to give visa-free travel with immediate effect to the Republic.

Those who hold a Republic of China (ROC) passport, valid for at least six months with a return or onward airline ticket, will be able to stay in Malaysia for up to 15 days without a visa.

Malaysia had offered visa-on-arrival (VOA) to Taiwanese citizens since 2009.

However, the country stopped issuing all landing visas across the board in August last year to curb problems of illegal immigrants from China, India and Bangladesh.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen recently said the granting of visa-free status would have very positive impact on tourism arrivals.

She said the decision to grant visa-free entry for Taiwanese was a reflection of the Government’s trust in frequent travellers from Taiwan.

Dr Ng added that the visa exemption took effect from March 14 and was only for Taiwanese businessmen and tourists.

Source : The Star

Trips up Penang Hill by the upgraded funicular train service will be as fast as five minutes or less in air-conditioned coaches.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the faster speed and new coaches, which can accommodate 100 passengers each, would enable 2.4 million tourists to visit the hill annually compared to 607,198 in 2009.

She said the hill received 65,176 visitors in the first two months of last year before the service was halted for the ministry’s RM73mil upgrading project.
Fast track: The new Penang Hill funicular train can take visitors up or down the hill in less than five minutes.

“With the new and faster system, we expect an influx of local and foreign tourists,” Ng said after handing over the project to the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) yesterday.

“Penang Hill is a unique place for botanic enthusiasts who love nature. I hope PHC will make Penang Hill a state icon,” Dr Ng added.

She said the Federal Government was proud to be able to hand over the project to Penangites.

Dr Ng said the project included changing the rail tracks, two Swiss-made air-conditioned coa­ches, construction of the base station and a public car park.

She said the funicular train service was now considered the fastest in South-East Asia but it also meant that there would be less time for sightseeing during the ride.

As such, she hoped PHC would consider having a longer ride time at certain hours as the train’s speed could be controlled.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is the head of PHC’s board of directors, said the corporation would announce in a month when the train service would reopen to the public.

The handing-over ceremony was witnessed by Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and his wife Toh Puan Majimor Shariff as well as other VIPs.

Those present were taken on a ride up and down the hill in the new coaches.

Prior to the upgrading, it took 30 minutes to go up the hill on the funicular service with a change of train in the middle station. No change of trains is required with the upgraded service.

For those who are nostalgic over the old coaches, one of them is on display on an unused part of the old track and can be seen during the ride up and down the hill.

Source – The Star