Sabah

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Sabah International Convention Complex

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Opens: 2012
Location: Likas Bay, 40 minutes from Kota Kinabalu International Airport, 15 minutes from the city centre.
Owners: 60 per cent owned by Sabah Foundation, 40 per cent owned by Far East Consortium International.
Exhibition hall: 6,500m2, which can be divided into three halls.
Auditorium: Permanent raked seating for 650 delegates.
Meeting facilities: Three levels of meeting facilities with 26 meeting rooms and VIP suites; 19 meeting rooms ranging from 60m2 to 125m2 and linked to the auditorium and ballroom.
Convention hall: 6,000m2 column-free hall. Can be divided into three halls.
Ballroom: 1,500m2 hall can be divided into three ballrooms.

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Yayasan Sabah Group inks MoU, MoA with 17 partners
New Sabah Times

KOTA KINABALU: The Yayasan Sabah Group (YSG) yesterday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) with 17 various organisations ranging from education providers, Information Communication Technology (ICT) developers, hospitality industry to financial institution.

The partnerships are to add a new dimension to YSG’s development expansion programmes through institutional collaboration and linkages between YSG and top institutions and agencies within and outside Malaysia, said Yayasan Sabah director, Tan Sri Datu Khalil Datu Haji Jamalul.

“For the Yayasan Sabah Group, these partnerships also represent a significant milestone in our effort to broaden the development programmes in particular towards complementing and supplementing the Sabah Development Corridor agenda,” he said.

He cited that through the MoU and MoA, they hoped to turn Sabah into animation and multimedia hubs for East Malaysia to produce local talents with local content to meet the rising global demand and opportunities.

The animation and multimedia market is expected to be worth USD 644 billion by 2009, he said.

“The establishment of an animation centre by YSG is part of efforts to accelerate growth of the nation’s multimedia technology industry undertaken by the MDec, the agency that runs Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC).

“At this stage, YSG through Kolej Yayasan Sabah (KYS) has initiated collaboration with Elite Animation Sdn Bhd, a renowned local ICT (Information Communication Technology) based company in producing skilled professionals in animation and multimedia artistic technology,” he said.

Meanwhile, YSG’s MOU with Servio Management Consultant Sdn Bhd will focus on the commercial potential in the Yayasan Sabah Forest Management Area, in particular, the conservation areas in terms of health and high-end tourism.

“As conservation, environment and climate change are important current issues worldwide, we hope any development in this area will look into all issues favouring the protection of our environment,” Khalil said.

He added that the signing marked a key milestone in the first phase of development of the Sabah International International Convention Centre (SICC) project, which will consist of an iconic 5,000-pax convention centre and 600-room 5-star hotel at Likas Bay as YSG enters formally into working relationships with joint venture partners, financiers and engineering consultants.

YSG also signed the MOUs with Far East Consortium International Limited and AmInvest Bank who will act as YSG’s finance consultants.

On education, Khalil said that YSG has aspirations to become a regional hub for educational, training and research excellence.

He also said that they have been successful in attracting a number of foreign institutions to Sabah, either through joint-venture programmes or through the establishment of regional offices.

“We are also seeing a growing number of students, trainees, industrialists and investors in Sabah given our competitiveness and favourable environment,” he said.

The signatories during the event were Nilai University College (NUC), Angkatan Hebat Sdn Bhd (AHSB), Maritime Innovative Technology Services (MITS), Tanjung Aru Hotel Sdn Bhd, Borneo Eco Healing Centre Sdn Bhd (BEHC), International Institute of Plantation Management of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Elite Animation Sdn Bhd, KL International Flying Academy, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), AmInvestment Bank, Perunding Shahelmey dan Rakan-Rakan Sdn Bhd, Sistem Konsult Sdn Bhd, Jurukur Bahan Konsultant (Sabah), Far East Consortium International Limited (FECIL), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), El-Attal Group Brothers and Servio Management Consultant Sdn Bhd.

Present to witness the signings was Deputy Chief Minister and State Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah.

Convention centre that can pack 5,000 soon
DAILY EXPRESS

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Kota Kinabalu: An international-class convention centre with more than 5,000 seating capacity and a five-star hotel is on the cards following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between London and Central European Investment Ltd (LCEI) and Innoprise Corporation Sdn Bhd (ICSB), here, Monday.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who witnessed the signing ceremony at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort, said the London-based LCEI was very keen to engage in business ventures and undertakings in Sabah.

"It is willing to explore, develop and implement viable investment opportunities with ICSB," he said.

ICSB, on the other hand, was also eager to enter into a smart business partnership with LCEI by providing a conducive environment to enable the company to invest in Sabah.

He said ICSB would complement the international convention centre and assist with the selection of a reputable European operator to market the facilities and also to develop, market and sell apartments and villas in the world-class holiday resort.

Apart from the tourism facility, he said LCEI was also interested in the development and establishment of an integrated petroleum complex and other related services in the oil and gas sectors.

In addition, the property development-based company would be looking into development of integrated forestry plantations and the establishment of power generation facilities using bio-mass and bio-fuel.

Musa, who is also Finance Minister, said the MoU was the product of a visit to the UK in April, this year.

"I strongly believe that this MoU will bring about mutual benefits to the parties concerned," he said.

LCEI Chairman, Robin Warwick Edwards, said Sabah is really fortunate to be situated in a very strategic location in the region.

"Sabah is at the epicentre of the fastest growing region in the world. Japan is at your doorstep including China and India," he said.

In this respect, he said the Government must prepare its economy and infrastructure for the future but at the same time, preserve the State's natural beauty.

According to him, the company liked what it heard about Sabah during the meeting with Musa in London in April.

While LCEI is not expecting to sign any deals during its visit here, he said they just want to discover the opportunities in business.

Yayasan Sabah Director Tan Sri Datu Khalil Datu Jamalul, meanwhile, said Edwards' entourage would be visiting some of YS operations including Danum Valley Conservation Area Field Centere and Innoprise-Face Foundation Carbon Sequestration project (Infapro).

He said the entourage would have the opportunity to meet up with the organisers of the Sabah International Expo 2008 as well as members of the Sabah Federation of Manufacturers.

The culmination, he said, would be a final discussion and wrap-up session and a specific business matching session towards the latter part of the visit.

Sleepless in Sabah
January 2009

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Photos from travelblog (http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Kota-Kinabalu/blog-292235.html)

A new convention centre, more direct flights and incentives to build hotels are all helping to drive the MICE sector forward, S Puvaneswary reports

The East Malaysian state of Sabah, located on the northern part of the island of Borneo, is undergoing a flurry of activity that is driving the MICE sector forward. This encompasses both national and state government promotion and improvements to transport, hotel and convention infrastructure.

The Sabah Tourism Board is concentrating its marketing efforts on drawing more direct flights into Sabah to attract more MICE and FIT groups. Kota Kinabalu is served by Malaysia’s two local carriers, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia, and foreign carriers Royal Brunei Airlines, Dragonair, Cebu Pacific Air, SilkAir, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.

These airlines have direct flights between Kota Kinabalu and 15 foreign destinations. There are 107 weekly flights to Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), making it the second busiest in Malaysia, after Kuala Lumpur International Airport. KKIA’s new terminal one building, opened for commercial use in August, can handle up to 3,200 passengers per peak hour. There are 36 immigration counters (16 for departures and 20 for arrivals), twice the original number of counters. Sabah Tourism Board has also recently started working with agents to use South Korea’s Incheon International Airport as a hub to bring in more leisure and MICE delegates from northern China, Japan and central Asia.

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Asiana Airlines has daily flights to KKIA and Korean Air flies four times weekly. Other regional hubs with direct flights to Kota Kinabalu include Hong Kong, Singapore and Brunei, and the Sabah Tourism Board also sees them as opportunities to attract foreign delegates. A four-day post conference tour to Sabah following the 14th World Routes Development Forum 2008 in October in Kuala Lumpur gave the board an opportunity to showcase its airport facilities and the state’s business potential to delegates.

Hotel room crunch

To cater to the growing number of visitors, Sabah still needs more rooms, especially outside the capital, and especially during peak periods from June to August, December and during the Lunar New Year break. During the peak period, the state is short of some 5,000 rooms.

UK-based FarAway Holidays product director, Mr David Oak, said he was struggling to get accommodation for a 24-person incentive group in May 2009 as there was a lack of lodges in the wildlife parks in Sandakan. “Tourism Malaysia is doing a great job promoting Malaysia in the UK. There are many wildlife TV programmes in the UK. These have sparked an interest in Sabah and makes the destination easy to sell,” Mr Oak said.

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Sabah has 400 hotels of all categories and a total room inventory of 16,250.

MICE planners welcomed the increased inventory of 925 rooms as four properties opened this year at the 1Borneo mixed development in Kota Kinabalu.

Malaysian Association of Hotels vice-president, Mr Ivo Nekvapil, said: “Kota Kinabalu needs more branded properties to enhance its image and increase its credibility as a world MICE destination.

“Currently, there is a Hyatt, Le Méridien, two Accor-managed properties – Novotel 1Borneo and Mercure (and a Best Western).”

To increase supply, the national government’s 2009 budget included tax breaks for hotel operators undertaking new investments in four- and five-star properties in Sabah and Sarawak.

Hotel operators will be given pioneer status in the two states with 100 per cent income-tax exemption or investment tax allowance for five years.

Sabah’s largest meeting facility is The Magellan Sutera grand ballroom, which can accommodate 1,200 people banquet-style. The Magellan Sutera is part of Sutera Harbour Resort. Another property within the resort, and within walking distance to The Magellan Sutera, is The Pacific Sutera.

The grand ballroom at The Pacific Sutera can accommodate up to 550 people banquet-style. Big meeting groups at Sutera Harbour can therefore choose to split their groups in two and simultaneously use the ballrooms at both venues.

In 2012, MICE planners can look forward to more venue options when Sabah’s first convention and exhibition centre opens. Sabah International Convention Complex (SICC), with an integrated five-star meeting hotel, is being built at Likas Bay, in Kota Kinabalu. It will be 60 per cent owned by a government agency, Sabah Foundation, with the remainder owned by Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium International. SICC will be a 45-minute drive from the airport and 15 minutes from the city centre. The convention hall will be able to accommodate up to 6,600 people theatre-style or 3,000 people banquet-style, while the exhibition hall will be able to hold up to 400 booths.

Sabah Foundation senior group manager, corporate services and human resources division, Ms Hajah Rosmawati Haji Lasuki, added SICC would be privately managed.

A convention bureau by 2012

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Picture courtesy of
Sabah Foundation

Recognising the value of Meeting Incentive Convention and Exhibition (MICE) visitors, the Sabah state government and Sabah Foundation are working jointly to set up a dedicated convention bureau.

If all goes well, this will be the second state bureau in the country after Sarawak (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=732114&page=2), which set up its bureau in 2006.

It will be managed by the state tourism, culture and environment ministry and will be tasked to bring in more international MICE business through focused marketing and promotional efforts.

RM3 BILLION INVESTED IN TOURISM LAST FIVE YEARS
New Sabah Times

KOTA KINABALU: The total investment in Sabah’s tourism from both state and private sector was a whopping RM3 billion in the last five years.

Disclosing this yesterday, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman said this reflected the state government’s seriousness in developing the tourism industry.

The government, he said encouraged the private sector especially the industry players to venture into the hotel, resort and hospitality industry.

“There are a number of hotels coming up in the next two years as we are still experiencing a shortage of four to five-star hotel accommodations,” he said when addressing delegates of TAFI during a gala dinner here last night.

Musa who is also Finance minister said Sabah received 2.1 million visitors last year and as of July, this year, more than 1.3 million visitors have already visited the state.

“We hope to achieve our target of 2.3 million arrivals before the year ends,” he said.

He also said since last week till the second week of September, Kota Kinabalu city had extremely limited rooms available “and this is a very good sign for us as it shows the flourishing tourism industry”.

The Chief Minister added that the city was becoming increasingly popular as a MICE (Meeting Incentives Convention Exhibitions) destination for countries such as Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Australia and West Malaysia as well as India.

“With the numerous conglomerates and multinationals in India, Sabah can further tap the MICE market from your country. I hope after your distinguished TAFI members’ visit, more companies in India will consider Sabah as the venue for their MICE events,” he said.

And, he also said Kota Kinabalu is also emerging as a popular venue for international conferences, trade fairs and exhibitions.

“This week alone, we have at least 3,000 participants of MICE groups including your group and a few more hundreds comprising of independent groups and FITs,” he said.

In recognition of this emerging trend, Musa said the government through its investment arm, Yayasan Sabah, was spearheading an effort to develop a world class convention and exhibition centre.

The project’s key components will include a 5,000 seat convention hall and five-star hotels.

“This project will not only satisfy the need for Sabah to have its own exhibition and convention centre but also to satisfy the increasing demand for quality hotels as our tourism industry continues to grow,” he said.

Musa also told the delegates that Sabah was a rare treasure in this region, a destination with few equals in terms of the rich diversity of its flora and fauna, virgin rainforest, beautiful idyllic islands and world class conservation and wildlife sanctuaries.

“It will be worthwhile to visit the natural wonders such as Mount Kinabalu which is Malaysia’s first World Heritage Site, the world famous diving site called Sipadan and Maliau Basin dubbed as the Lost World,” he said.

According to him, while the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre was another flagship of Sabah’s wildlife attractions, there were also the lower Kinabatangan floodplain, Danum Valley, Turtle Islands Park, and Tabin Wildlife Reserve that has its own calling.

The Chief Minister also urged the TAFI delegates to visit the Sandakan, Sabah’s gateway to wildlife, Tawau – ‘the Cocoa Producer of the World’, Kudat – The Northern Tip of Borneo and the interior districts such as Tambunan, Keningau and Tenom, the local coffee producer and Sabah Agriculture Park.

“And, off the east coast of the city is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park which offers pristine beaches and crystal clear water.

“We have championship golf course and health spas of international standard,” he said.

In addition, he said Sabah was also known for having the freshest seafood and a wide array of cuisines reflecting the diversity of cultures in the state.

With the presence of new shopping malls and quality stores and soon the completion of One Borneo, KK Times Square and Harbour City, he said visitors would be given a fair bit of choice to indulge in their shopping pleasure.

At the same time, Musa also said that Sabah was home to at least 30 ethnic groups with different religions, customs and traditions. “Nevertheless our people live harmoniously in spite of their diverse background,” he said.

He also urged those interested to know more about the lives of the people and their historical past to visit the Rungus longhouse in Kudat or the Monsopiad Cultural Village.

Sabah to launch event complex
by Megan Gell
A new convention centre and bureau are underway

SABAH The Malaysian state of Sabah will open the Sabah International Convention Complex in 2012. The complex will be located at Likas Bay, 15 minutes from Kota Kinabalu, and 40 minutes from the international airport.

Facilities will include a five-star hotel, 6,500 sqm exhibition hall, a convention hall seating 6,600 delegates, a ballroom and a 650-seat auditorium.

The state government plans to launch a dedicated convention bureau with the complex’s developers, Sabah Foundation.

MyCEB promotes subvention package and various cities
October 15, 2009 by Duangrudee Somboonruangsri
http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2009/10/myceb-promotes-subvention-package-and-various-cities/

Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) introduces what it calls a “subvention” package, which offers convention organisers subsidises of up to RM100,000 if they bring events to the country.

Up to RM100,000 is available if a convention has a minimum of 300 international delegates. The budget is used to arrange post/pre-tour, a gala dinner, and souvenirs.

When there are less than 300 delegates the bureau evaluates the event and offers other options.

Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak on Borneo Island, Melaka and Penang and Sabah are the main destinations that can be used for incentives or events.

Sabah International Convention Complex with an integrated five-star meeting hotel, at Likas Bay in Kota Kinabalu, will open in 2012. Facilities will include a five-star hotel, 6,500 sqm exhibition hall, a convention hall seating 6,600 delegates, a ballroom and a 650-seat auditorium.

Tourism Malaysia Thailand Office director, Iskandar Morza Mohd Yusof, said: “Thailand is among the top three markets for tourist arrivals to Malaysia. Last year, Malaysia received 1,493,789 Thai travellers, of which 3.1% of the trips were to attend a convention or an incentive event.”

However, from January to August, this year, trips by Thai tourists dropped to 960,610.

Tourism expenditure in 2007 was RM46.10 billion, while conference delegates’ expenditure stood at RM3.17 billion. International MICE spending per head was RM3,133.

MyCEB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tourism Malaysia formed in December 2008 with a federal launch grant of RM5 million to replace the Conventions Division of Tourism Malaysia.

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The palace looks.

signboard put up

by benz
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:D

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Any updates for this SICC project? Is this project still going on?

Just asking! :)