Mossy Forest in Batu Gangan Forest Reserve

New route in Sungai Koyan makes destination easily accesible
Story and photos by Nik Naizi Husin
Saturday December 25, 2010

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Most visitors here are not aware of a mossy forest located in the Batu Gangan Forest Reserve.

This natural attraction, believed to be more than 200,000 years old, is nicknamed 'Lord of the Rings Forest' and 'Fantasy Forest' by local tourist guides.

Tourism Malaysia Pahang had recently organised a familiarisation trip for 60 people comprising travel and tour operators, hoteliers, media as well state tourism officers from Terengganu, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Challenging trek: The difficulties when trekking in the forest

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The trip also included visits in homestay villages in Kampung Kuala Medang, Lipis and Kampung Sungai Pasu, Raub.

Tourism Pahang

Tourism in Pahang set to attract more visitors from Singapore
By Nik Naizi Husin
Monday November 8, 2010

SOME two million Singaporeans visited Pahang last year and the state has targeted an additional one milllion visitors from the island republic this year.

Pahang Tourism, Arts, Heritage, Women's and Family Development Committee chairman Datuk Shafik Fauzan Sharif said he is optimistic that the target would be achieved.

The state tourism agencies, he said, have played their role in promoting Pahang to the world and there would be more efforts from them to boost the industry.

Welcome dance: Traditional dancers from the State Secretary Office, Kuantan, performing the "ulek Mayang" dance to welcome the Singapore travel agents and operators

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Currently, Pahang's main attractions which including Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Bukit Fraser, Tioman Island, Taman Negara and National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah have been the catalysts for visitation from tourists all over the world.

Pahang Attracting More Tourist

Pahang to attract more tourists with better packages
By Roslina Mohamad
Wednesday May 5, 2010

KUANTAN: Pahang, which registered 10 million tourist arrivals last year, has targeted to attract 13.6 million tourists this year by offering better and suitable tour packages featuring the state's popular destinations and activities.

State Tourism, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Shafiq Fauzan Sharif said there were efforts to upgrade current packages and design new ones to meet the needs of individuals and families.

"It will be a complete package including food, lodging, activities and places to go and it will be a concerted effort by the state government and industry players," he told reporters after chairing a dialogue with members of the Malaysian Association of Hotels Pahang chapter here yesterday.

The packages, he said, would include the state's 10 best tourism icons - Cameron Highlands, Genting Highlands, Fraser's Hill, Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre, Kuala Lipis (historical and heritage town), Taman Negara, Tioman Island, Rompin (billfish sports fishing), Pekan (royal town) and Cherating (surfing paradise).

He also said Fraser's Hill was given a facelift recently costing RM24mil while RM500,000 had been set aside to develop Sungei Lembing, once dubbed the El Dorado of the East where the largest, longest and deepest subterranean mine in the world was once located. -- The Star

Cameron Highlands Tourism

Highland tourist attractions
Thursday August 27, 2009

CAMERON Highlands is a cool countryside with plenty to offer visitors. Here is a list of places to visit in the land of roses and strawberries.

The Time Tunnel

This is a new place set up by a Cameron enthusiast. It is a museum full of heartwarming relics from people who lived and visited Cameron Highlands many years ago. You would be surprised what you can find in there. It is located in Jalan Sungai Burung Brinchang and the entrance fee is RM5 for adults and RM3 for children.

Brinchang town

Brinchang is about a 10-minute drive from Tanah Rata and has smaller hotels and food outlets. The weekend pasar malam is a big draw and there are other tourist attractions as well like the Big Red Strawberry Farm.

Kea farm

This is the hub of activities with the busy Kea Farm Day Market, butterfly farms and flower nurseries. It is located four kilometres from Brinchang town. There is also a bee farm in the vicinity.

Tea plantations

There are four large tea plantations in the area which have great coffee houses where you can sample their tea and legendary scones and cakes. The Bharat Plantation Cameron Valley is located at Tanah Rata while the Boh Tea Plantation is located 30 minutes from Tanah Rata. Boh also owns the Sungai Palas plantation which is located near Kea Farm and the Cameron Valley Tea Plantation is situated along the Kuala Terla main road.

Strawberry farms

Throughout Cameron Highlands you will find farms that allow you to pick strawberries. This can be a fun activity for the whole family for a minimum price. Among the farms providing this service are Highland Honey Bee farm in Ringlet, Cameron Tringkap Bee Farm and the Healthy Strawberri Farm, Tanah Rata.

Jungle trekking and orang asli settlement

If you prefer a more challenging experience there is always the jungle trekking route from the Robinson Waterfall or the Parit Waterfall. There is also mountain climbingactivities. Visits to the orang asli settlement near Tanah Rata is also permitted. Information on the routes and tour guides are available at the hotels.

-- CloveTwo.com

Strict rules for Tourism Malaysia Homestay

Strict rules for homestays to ensure true Malaysian experience
Tuesday June 9, 2009

Kota Kinabalu: Homestay operators will have to follow a set of strict guidelines to ensure visitors will get the real experience of local living.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said all homestay operators must occupy and cannot rent out a house to tourists under the homestay concept.

She said the operators must interact with their guests, teach them at least one local song and dance, and a special local delicacy so that tourists would get the real taste of the Malaysian experience.

"There are many tourists who want to experience more of Malaysians' lives than having just a leisure and recreation visit," Dr Ng told reporters on her first official working visit to Sabah where state officials gave her a briefing on tourism.

Google Maps to feature Pahang travel destinations

Google Maps to feature Pahang destinations
By Roslina Mohamad
Wednesday June 3, 2009

Kuantan: Pahang is set to become the first state to use Google Maps to post tourist travel destinations and packages.

State Tourism Malaysia, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Shafiq Fauzan Sharif said a Kuala Lumpur-based company had signed a deal with Google and its website was expected to be ready in a month.

"At least 50 tourist travel destinations in Pahang will be posted on the website in four languages – Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Japanese.

Agro Tourism Malaysia food supply chain

College students get insight into food supply chain
By Alicia Mun
Tuesday June 2, 2009

TAYLOR’S School of Hospitality and Tourism (TCHT) students went up to Cameron Highlands for a tour of the Consolidation, Processing and Packaging Centre (CPPC) of Malaysian Agrifood Corporation Berhad (MAFC) recently.

At the CPPC, they learnt about the food supply chain system that brings fruits and vegetables from the farms to retail outlets.

Giant marketing director Ho Mun Hao showed the students how tomatoes were sorted according to colour using a machine which has a built-in camera that captures the colour of the tomatoes to determine their ripeness. It also grades the tomatoes based on their weight. The machine is capable of processing up to four tomatoes per second.

Leave our hills alone

LURE of the hills (Culture Cul De Sac, Vestibule, StarMag, May 10) was an excellent read. It reminded me that places like Penang Hill, Maxwell Hill, Fraser’s Hill and Cameron Highlands were once famous, but are now ruined by over-building.

These are historical sites and part and parcel of our heritage. Among the four hills, Cameron Highlands has lost its shine for good and it can’t be salvaged. Hopefully, nature lovers will ensure the remaining three hills retain their old charms and historical buildings.

Two months ago, Human Resources Deputy Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan said that only nature lovers now visit Fraser’s Hill. Now what is wrong with that? That was the second time she made such a comment; the first was in 2008 when she was chairman of the Fraser’s Hill Development Board.

Govt to develop tourism Malaysia aggressively

Minister: Govt to develop tourism aggressively
By Krystle Low
Wednesday April 22, 2009

KUANTAN: Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen has said that the Federal Government will initiate aggressive measures to attract tourists, particularly to Pahang.

She said the industry’s players could carry out three types of promotional activities namely overall, product and rural.

“Each of the categories can be promoted individually, depending on creativity and foresight. For example, rural promotion can be done in Kuantan as there are a lot of iconic places in rural areas unknown to outsiders.

Make a pit stop at Bidor

Make a pit stop at Bidor
Story and Photos by Grace Chen
Sunday April 12, 2009

Bidor town is a favourite stopover for travellers seeking fruits and local snacks.

LAI Yoke Kuan, the owner of Ah Yew Fruit Shop, stopped us dead in our tracks when she jumped out and playfully hollered, “Halt! Who goes there? Friend or foe?”

Once she got our attention, the 46-year-old mother of five broke into a charming smile and handed out slices of red, juicy bell fruit for sampling. Lai’s shock tactic worked because when we left, she had managed to sell us two packets of bell fruit, a few kilos of seedless guavas, a bag of tamarind pods and a few stalks of lotus fruit.

Khong Siew Kit of Pun Chun showing the restaurant’s famous chicken biscuits and shat ke ma.

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Homestay a good way to see country

Homestay a good way to see country
Thursday March 26, 2009

I AM all for the support of any initiative to bolster the rural economy, especially during this period of economic uncertainties. Thus the report, “Tourism Ministry pushes homestay concept” (The Star, March 17) is a welcome move.

Homestay for tourists as a tourism product and a Malaysian attraction should be given due emphasis as it does not incur a big sum of money. It does not need to construct any infrastructure, except for promotions to “sell” our fast disappearing Malaysian way of life.

Tourism Malaysia top Travel Destinations

Which states in Malaysia has the most tourist? Let see which tops the tourism Malaysia travel destinations for tourist arrivals.

1. Kuala Lumpur - 16.3 million
2. Pahang - 10.1 million
3. Sabah - 6.2 million
4. Penang - 5.2 - 6.3 million

Cheers!

More tourists visiting Penang last year, says CM
Tuesday March 3, 2009

PENANG’S tourist arrivals saw a jump of 21.6% last year compared to 2007 and the numbers could have been higher if not for the global economic situation, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“The state was the fourth most visited state in the country after Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Sabah.

Pahang moves to boost service for tourists

Pahang moves to boost service for tourists
By Simon Khoo
Wednesday February 25, 2009

JERANTUT: Pahang will continue to find ways to enhance the knowledge and skills of tourist guides and supervisors of freshwater sanctuaries in the state, says State Culture, Arts, Tourism and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Shafik Fauzan Sharif.

Shafik Fauzan said that people in the two professions needed to be equipped with information on the environment and aquaculture so that they could inform visitors.

A recent initiative adopted by the state was to take them on site visits to Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu, he said.

“The participants in the visits were guides for places like Taman Negara, Fraser’s Hill, Cameron Highlands and Merapoh.

Finding the right strategies for tourism industry

Finding the right strategies
By Cecilia Kok
Saturday February 21, 2009

This 2009 is definitely going to be a tough year for the tourism industry across the world as the worsening economic crisis causes long-haul visitors to stay home and regional travellers to cut short their trips to cut back on spending.

And bracing for the challenges ahead, most tourism authorities across the Asian region have already set their tourist-arrival targets lower for 2009.

For instance, Hong Kong is expecting a shortfall of 1.6% in tourist arrivals for 2009 compared with 29.5 million in 2008, while Singapore anticipates its tourist arrivals this year to fall between 9 and 9.5 million, compared with 10.1 million last year. For Thailand, where tourism is one of the pillar industries to the economy, the number of foreign visitors is expected to fall from 14.24 million last year to 14 million in 2009.

In line with the regional trend, Malaysia’s tourist-arrival target of 20 million for 2009 represents a decline of 9% from the numbers achieved last year.

Keeping a vacation home (like in the highlands?)

Keeping a vacation home
Saturday January 24, 2009
By Thean Lee Cheng

Buyers are unlikely to sell their property as they are passionate about it

A year ago, Yen Chong, 47, and her husband bought a two-bedroom apartment of less than 1,000 sq ft in Silver Park, Fraser’s Hill. It set them back by about RM120,000 but the couple was thrilled about the weekly rendezvous.

Economic turmoil notwithstanding, it is a purchase they do not regret a jot.

Recalls Chong: “We were going up to Fraser’s Hill very often and were renting the three-bedroom bungalows which come with a housekeeper and cook for between RM500 and RM600 for the weekend.”

High adventure in Pahang

High adventure in Pahang
Sunday November 16, 2008

From the sandy white beaches to the highest peak in the peninsula, Pahang offers more than just a holiday. It gives an opportunity to be one with nature and to learn about the environment besides appreciating the natural heritage.

Cherating



Long stretches of white sandy beaches on which one can just laze around and do nothing but enjoy and drink in the beauty of the sea. With turquoise blue waters and nice green hills across the horizons, it is a beautiful place to be to enjoy peace or alternatively to ride the rolling waves.

Plan needed to sustain tourism spots

Plan needed to sustain tourism spots
Friday November 7, 2008

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: A master plan is needed to ensure that tourism projects are run without sacrificing the environment.

The Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, said it would be a waste of money and efforts if tourism plans end up destroying the environment.

Tengku Abdullah cited as an example the tourist-popular Cameron Highlands in Pahang which is known for its cool temperature but is facing destruction because of too much development.

“Tourists come here (Cameron Highlands) for its natural environment and if there is too much development and high-rise buildings, sooner or later it will affect the environment. In time to come, fewer visitors will come here,” he said after flagging-off the participants in the Pahang National Park Eco-Challenge here yesterday.

Kuala Kubu Baru Flyingrhino Guest House Ecotours

Bliss in Kuala Kubu Baru
By Rose Yasmin Karim
Saturday November 1, 2008

Close to Kuala Lumpur and closer still to some white water action, Kuala Kubu Baru is a place to play hard and rest well.

There are some things that Kuala Lumpur, for all its attractions, cannot compete with Kuala Kubu Baru — namely, the air that’s noticeably fresher, quiet waterfalls and the absence of a single chain café.

Testament to the outdoor possibilities of this small town are the number of SUVs with offroad bicycles strapped to the roof that make a beeline here.

Larry and Anna co-own The Flyingrhino Guest House & Ecotours in Kuala Kubu Baru.

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Living their dream in this beautiful place is Larry Swccato, 37, and Anna Pierrot, 27. Free-spirited in the way you wish your friends were, the European couple are the co-owners of The Flyingrhino Guest House & Ecotours.

“It’s a full house today. There’s a funeral going on next door and some of our neighbour’s relatives and friends are staying over,” said Larry, ushering me into the double storey, pre-WWII shophouse painted a bright orange.

Tacked to the door are red scrolls, a Chinese tradition that carry messages of luck and prosperity.

“These were given to me by the lion dancers during the official opening ceremony of the guesthouse. It looks very nice, so I’m keeping it there for awhile,” said the Mandarin-speaking Italian, who had lived in China for a decade.

Malaysian travel style

Malaysian travel style
Saturday October 18, 2008

Online accommodation website Wotif.com discovers that Malaysian travellers are sociable and adventurous.

Malaysian travellers don’t like to skimp on accommodation, love pampering and want to explore new places when they travel, according Wotif.com’s survey of more than 200 respondents.

According to Wotif.com Malaysian manager, Rani Vaithlingim, “Malaysians are keen travellers and increasingly book their accommodation through Wotif.com, so we wanted to find out exactly what they look for when they travel.

“It was great to see how adventurous and easy-going most respondents are and encouraging to note their pride in Malaysia and keenness to explore their own country,” she added.

Globetrotter Wildlife Guidebook Malaysia

Guide to our natural gems
Saturday October 4, 2008
By Leong Siok Hui

The latest guidebook to hit our bookshelves showcases Malaysia’s stunning wildlife reserves and natural heritage.

Taman Negara and Kinabalu Park aside, most Malaysians and foreign tourists have never set foot on some of Malaysia’s most astounding natural treasures, like Sabah’s Maliau Basin, Perak’s Royal Belum State Park, and Sarawak’s Batang Ai National Park.

Nine out of 10 people I’ve spoken to have never even heard of the smaller but equally intriguing parks like Sarawak’s Lambir Hills National Park or Sabah’s Tabin Wildlife Reserve. But thanks to Wildlife Guide Malaysia, we now have a good overview of what the country has to offer in terms of natural heritage.

Detailed description: The latest guidebook to hit our bookshelves, Wildlife Guide Malaysia features 19 national parks scattered around the country, highlights their unique attractions and spectacular flora and fauna.

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