
Collaboration key to success of VM2026
Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong claimed that there was a lack of engagement with industry players.
'The promotional push needs to be more aggressive since we only have six more months,' he said.
He said the government must take the lead in bringing all tourism partners together by providing training and coordination to promote Malaysia effectively to the world.
'All tourism players, be it hoteliers, tour operators, tour guides, must be included,' he said.
Leong said also deserving attention were Malaysia's wide range of cultural celebrations and festivals.
'The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry could work with temples and other relevant groups to promote celebrations and festivals, in highlighting the colours of Malaysia,' he said.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor chapter chairman Ivan Teo said such a collaboration would benefit all parties.
'We need to work together to get the best out of VM2026 or we may risk not getting the impact we hope to see from the campaign.
'We also need to have more events, including concerts that can lure international crowds, or at least visitors from the South-East Asian region,' he said, adding that there was a need to beef up promotional efforts including media coverage from the foreign press.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Borneo Post
9 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Pontianak-Kuching flights to resume Sept 12, boosting tourism and connectivity
Abdul Karim (centre) speaks to reporters. – Photo by Henrietta Liza KUCHING (July 25): The long-awaited resumption of the direct Pontianak-Kuching flight route is set for this Sept 12, a move expected to significantly enhance regional connectivity while boosting Sarawak's medical tourism and live entertainment sectors. Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, has confirmed that although the final official confirmation is pending, initial indications suggest the route will operate two flights daily. 'It's about RM180 for a one-way trip, if I'm not mistaken,' he told reporters at the launch of Air Supply's 50th anniversary concert, here today. Abdul Karim highlighted the strategic timing of the flight resumption, coinciding with the concert scheduled for Sept 24. 'The event is expected to attract a sizeable number of fans from Indonesia, particularly from Pontianak. 'There are a lot of rich people down there (in Pontianak). Every time we host a concert, many of them come by road. 'During last year's countdown event, the Tebedu CIQS (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex) was jammed for three hours,' he said. The minister also cited encouraging performance of the Jakarta-Kuching direct flight, which had maintained a passenger load factor consistently above 80 per cent, driven by demand from Indonesian travellers. According to Abdul Karim, the Singapore tourist arrivals are showing an upward trend, while Brunei remains a significant market for Sarawak's tourism industry. 'More than 100,000 Bruneians enter Sarawak every year, whether for entertainment, marathons, extreme sports, or 4×4 rallies. 'Brunei has always been a strong supporter of our tourism,' he said. Abdul Karim also reaffirmed Indonesia's position as the primary source of foreign medical tourists to Sarawak, especially from Pontianak and Jakarta. According to him, many of these patients travel overland for up to five hours, while others opt to fly via Jakarta before arriving in Kuching. 'With direct flights now available from both Pontianak and Jakarta, we anticipate a significant increase in medical tourist arrivals from Indonesia,' he said. Additionally, Abdul Karim hinted at the potential for a future direct flight route between Balikpapan and Kuching. 'Probably in the future, we never know – Balikpapan might be… (having direct flights from Balikpapan to Kuching),' he said with optimism. Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah flights Kuching Pontianak


Borneo Post
11 hours ago
- Borneo Post
CM: Sabah a new sailing destination
Joniston mingles with the sailors during the Dalit Bay Nautica Carnival 2025 event in Tuaran today. TUARAN: The presence of more than 100 sailors and 29 yachts from 16 countries for the Dalit Bay Nautica event is proof that Sabah is now being recognised and appreciated globally as a sailing destination, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor. He expressed hope that nautical tourism such as this will soon become one of the main tourist attractions or activities in the state. 'Sabah offers a variety of sailing experiences and in fact, there is strong potential to become a sailing destination given our beautiful and pristine beaches. 'I believe nautical tourism or recreational sailing activities have the potential to attract more visitors to Sabah, and in turn, generate economic spillovers for the local communities. 'Therefore, we need to seize the prospects of sailing activities given the state's strategic location with its natural advantages and many waterways. Just like Dalit Beach, with its stunning coastline, rich cultural diversity, and strategic location facing the South China Sea, this area holds great potential to become a world-class tourism destination,' he said. He said this when officiating the Dalit Bay Nautica 2025 event here today. His speech was delivered by Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai. The Chief Minister said the event will also help to boost tourism, promote cultural heritage and stimulate economic activity in the state. 'This will definitely put Sabah on the global coastal map and is a good indicator of growth in the state's tourism sector. Without a doubt, this event will further diversify our tourism offerings and help us achieve our target of 3.5 million tourist arrivals to Sabah this year. 'As the second-largest state in Malaysia, Sabah has everything to offer — from deep seas to towering mountains. This makes Sabah one of the world-class tourism destinations. 'The beauty and richness of our flora and fauna, and the wonders of nature such as our oceans, islands, mountain ranges, and forest reserves are natural treasures enjoyed and admired by many,' he said.


The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Bear necessities: Preserving nature's farmers
WHEN Tourism Malaysia unveiled the sun bears Wira and Manja as mascots of Visit Malaysia 2026, many gushed over their cuteness that could rival pop culture favourites Paddington and Winnie the Pooh. The smallest and rarest of its kind, these bears have not always enjoyed the spotlight. Even so, their population have fallen victim to poachers, deforestation and industrialisation. The lack of education on sun bears is the crux of the issue as our ignorance contributed to the negligence of these creatures and the preservation of their habitat. To learn more about these gentle beasts, theSun sat down with wildlife biologist Dr Wong Siew Te, who has spent his life working to preserve the dwindling population of sun bears. Sun bear mission Wong started his mission 27 years ago when he was chosen to study wild sun bears' ecology in Sabah. What began as a scientific study turned into a passion project for the man affectionately known as Papa Bear. 'After knowing about sun bears, I started to care for them. During my study, I realised a lot of 'bad things' happen to them.' He shared that the bears' forest is being actively destroyed by human activities – not only that, but they are also poached to be kept as pets. 'In 2004, I did a survey of captive sun bears across Sabah, Sarawak and West Malaysia. And since I know about sun bears more than anybody else, it has to be me helping the government conserve them.' Heading the call, Wong knew in his heart that his destiny was to help the sun bears regain their place in nature amid their dwindling population. 'The only way to do it is to establish a conservation centre to help out with captive (ex-pet) sun bears, and conduct a series of conservation work to help this species.' At heart of the sun bear conservation efforts is creating awareness and educating the masses about these gentle beasts, Wong said. Nature's farmer He highlighted the ecological importance of sun bears to our environment, especially for seed dispersal – a process in which the plants/fruits' seeds are transported to new sites for germination. 'Sun bears are very 'important forest planters',' he said, adding that they also feed on termites (microcerotermes) that are notorious for attacking live trees, further emphasising their importance to the ecosystem. Wong dubbed them the 'forest doctors and engineers' as they help keep it healthy and are somewhat responsible for 'reshaping its infrastructure'. An indispensable key character of the Borneo ecosystem, he noted that sun bears, also known as honey bears, feed on honey produced by stingless bees who would build their hives on tree tops. They will climb up top and use their sharp teeth to rip the trees open to get honey – and then, the ripped tree will be repurposed as nests by many other animals, including hornbills, flying squirrels, owls, parrots and more. They also contribute to the soil nutrient cycle by digging for earthworms and termites, just like farmers ploughing fields before laying their crops. However, these nature farmers have fallen prey to industrialisation as deforestation slowly rips them off their habitat. Not only that, but Wong also said the increasing road kill cases pose a threat to the sun bears. But, poaching remains their main threat. Nature-based tourism Poverty is one of the reasons poaching is prevalent, said Wong. So, nature-based tourism not only helps the sun bears, but also the locals. 'In Sabah, we help the locals through nature-based tourism.' Wong explained when tourists come to visit nature, they inadvertently help create jobs and improve the locals' livelihood. He believes this alternative is a direct solution to poaching, which has, unfortunately, become a means of survival for the locals. 'Through nature-based tourism, we create an incentive for the local people to protect wildlife. 'For example, our centre is very dependent on nature-based tourists to help and support, generate revenues, (used) to run our operation.' Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016, the sun bears' vulnerable position means all hands on deck. And that includes coexisting with the sun bears. Wong said: 'Besides visiting their villages to do community outreach programmes and educate them, we also engage with them because we are an ecotourism hotspot.' He shared that the tokens in the souvenir shops are handicrafts from the local community, and every purchase by a tourist keeps the locals' economy alive. At the centre itself, he said, they have 42 full-time staff and himself, who is the only one from West Malaysia, as the rest are hired locally. On sun bears being the mascot of Visit Malaysia 2026, Wong expressed pride and urged us to be equally as proud to have a native species, scientifically known as Helarctos malayanus, representing our country. 'It will surely raise awareness,' he said, adding that this move will help grow the economy, which will evidently help the conservation of sun bears. But, Wong mentioned, good management is still essential for an ethical nature-based tourism, so the native flora and fauna do not get exploited. That said, this feat is not a one man show – hence, Yayasan Hasanah has been key in building the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, having featured in The Hasanah Report 2024, which highlights the impactful work of everyday Malaysians, Wong shared. This concomitantly aides nature-based tourism in Sabah as it raises awareness by investing in meaningful initiatives. Ensuring the future generation will still have forests to trek and flowers to smell, caring for our animals, key figures of the ecosystem, is our burden to bear. Let it not be that the only way our kids learn about animals is through screens and book pages.