Going Places - Jamie Allan Scott ~Cystal Yacht Holidays

Picture of Allan with Wife Ryoko from Japan. ( I wonder where he's from)

In section Biz Talk in the Going Places December 2010 Magazine there's an article about Jamie Allan the founder of Crystal Yacht Holidays. He's a foreigner running a cruise / boat business in Langkawi. Its good to hear the good stories about them & how they fall in Love with Langkawi & living it. I just like the approach by Allan with locals in Langkawi.

To those who wish to use his service you can contact him at here.. Well i wish him good luck in his businnes. Maybe one day i'll try his service.. Who knows..

Cheers
Anaklangkawi.

Langkawi On Tourism Promotion Drive In West Asia

LANGKAWI, May 3 (Bernama) - Langkawi expects tourist arrivals from West Asian countries will exceed last year's figure of 89,000 with its participation at the three-day Arab Travel Mart in Dubai starting Monday. Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) public relations officer Ramizi Hassan said Lada and Tourism Malaysia were promoting various packages including honeymoon and yachting packages at the exhibition.Be said besides the travel mart, Lada would also be holding roadshows in Kuwait and Qatar from tomorrow till May 11.-- BERNAMA

Anaklangkawi :-
Continous effort need to be done to ensure continous flow of tourist to Langkawi.
But the locals also need to maintain Langkawi as clean & beauty as possible so that the effort made is not a waste..

Yahoo! Travel Magazine Lists Malaysia Among Top 10 Destinations

FRANKFURT, April 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is among the top 10 most affordable destinations in the world where Europeans can go a long way with their Euros for a memorable holiday, according to the German-language Yahoo! Travel Magazine. It listed Malaysia along with Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt and Hungary. Malaysia's Langkawi island was praised for its long, white sandy beaches, palm trees and fascinating coral reefs. Nature lovers too get "full worth" for their money with the abundance of flora and fauna.

"Your holiday budget is spared: life here is exceptionally affordable!" said the Yahoo! site. BERNAMA

Anaklangkawi :-
Go langkawi!!!

'Saya katakan Langkawi masih kotor'

LANGKAWI 15 Jan. - Langkawi terus mengekalkan identitinya sebagai destinasi pelancongan menarik setiap tahun tetapi di sebalik popularitinya, ia dikatakan mempunyai banyak kelemahan, malah ada yang menganggap pulau legenda itu belum begitu bersih.
Benarkah begitu? Kalau tidak masakan ada rungutan, malah ia keluar daripada mulut Menteri Pelancongan, Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen sendiri yang menyatakan bahawa Langkawi agak kotor dan masalah itu perlu perhatian serius.

"Saya katakan Langkawi masih kotor, saya lihat ada sampah, botol kosong yang terbuang di tepi-tepi laut," kata beliau.

Sehubungan itu, katanya, beliau akan mengatur satu kempen berkaitan kebersihan supaya Langkawi menjadi sebuah pulau peranginan yang sentiasa bersih dengan kerjasama orang ramai, pelancong, persatuan dan agensi tertentu.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika berucap pada Majlis Anugerah Industri Pelancongan Langkawi 2009 di Auditorium Lembaga Pembangunan Langkawi (LADA) di sini malam tadi.
Selain itu, kata Yen Yen, masih banyak kelemahan perlu diberi perhatian oleh pihak tertentu dalam usaha memajukan pelancongan Langkawi supaya ia menjadi pulau peranginan terbaik di dunia.

"Saya pernah bertanya sesuatu tentang Langkawi kepada pemandu bot tetapi dia tidak boleh menjawab sedangkan katanya, sudah memandu bot bertahun-tahun lamanya. Sepatutnya dia tahu banyak perkara." katanya.

Beliau menambah, jeti di Kuah juga perlu diberi perhatian supaya dapat memberi keselesaan kepada pelancong manakala hotel seharusnya mempunyai kemudahan spa tempatan seperti yang ada di pulau peranginan lain termasuk Bali.
''Lagi satu, di Langkawi tidak ada kawasan yang menjadi medan untuk menjual produk seni hasil artis tempatan seperti lukisan.

''Malah saya dapati satu kawasan yang menjadi tumpuan iaitu di Oriental Village cukup berpotensi untuk menjadi tempat seumpama ini kerana ia dikelilingi pokok-pokok dan artis tempatan boleh menggantung hasil seni mereka untuk dijual di sepanjang kawasan berkenaan," jelasnya.

Sementara itu Azman memberitahu, walaupun dunia dilanda krisis ekonomi dan wabak influenza A (H1N1), Langkawi masih mampu menarik ramai pelancong pada 2009 berikutan promosi secara agresif oleh industri pelancongan dengan sokongan Tourism Malaysia.
Pada 2009, menurut beliau, Langkawi mencatat rekod kehadiran pelancong 2.49 juta orang berbanding 2.34 juta pada 2007.

Pada majlis itu, sebanyak 11 kategori anugerah diberikan kepada pemenang yang terdiri daripada individu, syarikat atau badan terlibat dalam industri pelancongan di Langkawi.
Ia termasuk pengusaha restoran, pusat beli-belah, kedai, hotel dan resort, pengeluar produk pelancongan, pemandu pelancong, operator pelancongan, operator bot dan personaliti pelancongan yang menerima hadiah berupa trofi daripada menteri pelancongan tersebut.

Utusan

Taman Agro Teknologi Mardi Langkawi Dinaik Taraf

LANGKAWI, 7 Dis (Bernama) -- Taman Agro Teknologi Mardi Langkawi, merupakan antara produk pelancongan yang sedang dinaik taraf bagi projek pembangunan prasarana pelancongan di pulau peranginan itu. Pengurus Stesen Mardi Langkawi, Hassim Mat berkata, menara tinjau, dewan terbuka, pembangunan hutan tropika untuk tarikan eko-pelancongan, pondok rehat serta laluan siar kaki adalah antara projek yang sedang dilaksanakan di taman berkenaan.

"Taman itu mempunyai keluasan lebih 25 hektar mula dibangunkan sebagai stesen penyelidikan pada Ogos 1990 dan dikenali sebagai Taman Agro Teknologi pada Julai 2005," katanya di sini.Beliau berkata pelancong yang berkunjung ke taman itu berpeluang melawat serta memetik sendiri buah-buahan yang ditanam Mardi. Kedatangan pelancong ke taman itu meningkat kepada 32,000 orang dalam tempoh 10 bulan pertama tahun ini berbanding 25,000 orang dalam tempoh yang sama tahun lalu, katanya.

"Taman itu mempunyai visi untuk menjadi destinasi pelancongan teknologi pertanian yang tersohor dan bertaraf antarabangsa, selain itu menjadi pusat pembelajaran serta pemindahan teknologi pertanian, menggalakkan aktiviti agro pelancongan berasas teknologi."Pada masa ini, taman itu turut dibangunkan sebagai destinasi agro-pelancongan yang mempunyai lebih 20 jenis buah-buahan bermusim seperti rambutan, belimbing, jambu, nanas, durian, ciku, mangga, betik dan limau," katanya. -- BERNAMA

More Tourists To Visit Langkawi With Charter Flight Service

LANGKAWI, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- More tourists from Denmark, Finland and Sweden are expected to visit this resort island next year following the availability of direct charter flights from the three European countries.

Kedah Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) chairman Pishol Ishak said the weekly charter flight was expected to start from December this year to March next year.

"We are confident that the charter flights will increase the number of arrivals from the three countries," he told reporters here on Friday.

According to the Langkawi Development Authority's (LADA) statistics, a total of 18,519 tourists from Sweden visited the duty-free island last year, followed by Denmark (5,172) and Finland (6,270).

For the first five months this year, the number of tourists from Sweden reached 10,891, while from Denmark (2,963) and Finland (3,429).

-- BERNAMA

Anaklangkawi :- Those statistic shows there's an increase number of tourist in Langkawi. I wonder if LADA have done enough to promote Langkawi as a tourist destination by geo-Park status. By right LADA should have a statistic how many tourist had come due to the geo-Park status looking at the funds used by this status. Who can provide the figure?

Tourism M'sia Wants To Draw More Tourists From Brazil

LANGKAWI, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia hopes to increase the number of Brazilian tourists to this country by seven to eight per cent from the 3,000 who came last year.

The agency's vice-president for Western USA and Latin America, Mazlan Araju, said the targeted increase also took into consideration the current global economic downturn and Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic.

"Tourism promotional efforts need to be stepped up, focusing on Malaysian culture, arts, food and shopping areas to make our country an attractive tourist destination," he added.

Mazlan was speaking to reporters when attending a Mega Familiarisation programme for a group of tour agents and media representatives from Brazil where they took part in weaving ketupat cases and preparing Raya delicacies like lemang, rendang and dodol at Kampung Wang Tok Rendong in Kuah, here, on Sunday.

Tourism Malaysia had simultaneously launched the Mega Familiarisation programme in conjunction with this year's Aidilfitri at six village homestay sites nationwide, involving more than 100 foreign tourists including media representatives and tour operators from 13 countries.

The homestay facilities involved are in Kampung Walai Tokou (Sabah), Kampung Santubong (Sarawak), Sungai Pasu (Pahang), Kampung Pachitan (Negeri Sembilan), Kampung Seterpa (Kelantan) and Kampung Wang Tok Rendong (Kedah).

Mazlan said he was working out an arrangement with the Malaysian embassies in the Latin American countries to promote Malaysia to the people in these countries.

He said Tourism Malaysia had also carried out promotional efforts when it participated in the Brazilian Association of Travel Agents Congress (ABAV) in Rio de Janeiro in October last year.

"The Brazilians find the Malaysian way of life, culture and traditions unique and interesting," he said, adding that this should be capitalised on with the right approach.

On the homestay programme in conjunction with Aidilfitri, Mazlan said it was to enable the participants to experience the celebration and village life such as tapping rubber and making handicrafts, learn the local culture and savour the food.

The tourists involved in the programme also come from the United States, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Korea, China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

-- BERNAMA

Homestay Programme Draws More Than 75,000 Tourists In First Six Months

LANGKAWI, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Homestay programmes introduced throughout the country has attracted 75,214 tourists including 17,867 foreigners for the first half of 2009.

Tourism Malaysia senior tourism officer Normahani Ahmad said tourists stayed at 3,378 homestays in 227 villages, registered under the Tourism Ministry.

"Last year, 91,533 tourists, including 23,117 foreigners from Japan, South Korea and Singapore used homestays for their accommodation," said Normahani after participating in a Mega Familiarization programme in conjunction with the Aidilfitri celebrations at Kampung Wang Tok Rendong homestay, here Monday.

The Mega Familiarization programme which involved about 100 tourists, promoters, agents and media from 13 countries, was launched simultaneously at six homestays on Saturday.

Among countries represented are United States, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany, Holland, China, Pakistan and Singapore while the homestays comprised Kampung Walai Tokou (Sabah), Kampung Santubong (Sarawak), Sungai Pasu (Pahang), Kampung Pachitan (Negeri Sembilan), Kampung Seterpa (Kelantan) and Kampung Wang Tok Rendong, Langkawi (Kedah).

-- BERNAMA 28/9/09

Weather Forecase & Destination Ranking

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- The Meteorological Department has issued a first-category warning on the occurrence of strong winds and rough seas over Sabah waters and the northern part of the Strait of Melaka from today until Tuesday.In a statement, the department said strong southwesterly winds of 40 to 50km per hour, with waves of up to 3.5 metres, are expected to occur over the waters off Kedah, Perlis, Langkawi, Kudat and the west coast of Sabah and Labuan.

The condition is dangerous to small craft and sea sports, the statement said.

-- BERNAMA

SmartTravelAsia.com, the region's dedicated online travel magazine with over one million readers worldwide, said the category took in perceptions and actual experiences of business travellers in dealing with a range of factors like efficiency of transport and general services, signposting, hotels, airport and so on.

Bali, Maldives and Phuket are the top three Best Holiday Destinations in Asia, while Malaysia's Langkawi and Penang took the sixth and 10 spots respectively.

--- Bernama 5/9/09

First no soap, then no toilet at all at jetty ~ Kuala Perlis

I WAS at the Kuala Perlis Jetty on Aug 26 to receive visitors from Langkawi Island.
While waiting for my guests to arrive, I went to the toilet. To my horror, there was no soap and I called the Jetty’s office to inform them of it.

Meanwhile, I thought of sponsoring a bar of soap for the public to use. But, when I came back with it, I found the door to the toilet locked.
I was told that the toilet was spoilt.

We are having a good flow of tourists despite the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak but our local marine department is not making a serious effort to keep the toilets clean at all times.
This type of attitude will only lose us valuable tourists. Remember, tourism is a billion ringgit foreign revenue earner for our country.

GOWRIKUMAR,
Batu Caves, Selangor.

The Star 2/9/09

Anaklangkawi :-

Issue with toilet was quite synonym to tourist areas. Hope that this complain will opened the eyes of authorities in Perlis. This only defers tourist from coming to Langkawi.

Keju susu kerbau ~ Pelancongan

SEKALI makan, pasti hendak lagi! Itulah kata-kata tepat untuk menggambarkan keenakan keju mozzarella buatan tempatan yang dihasilkan daripada susu kerbau dipercayai yang pertama di negara ini.Produk itu yang dihasilkan di sebuah premis terpencil, Friendly Farms Sdn Bhd (Friendly Farms) di Kampung Nyior Chabang, Langkawi, Kedah semakin mendapat perhatian ramai selepas pertama kali diperkenalkan akhir tahun lalu.

Rahsia keju mozzarella diminati ramai walaupun usianya belum genap setahun, terutama selepas mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menulis mengenainya di dalam blognya yang popular www.chedet.com.Diusahakan bersama oleh Michael Bruschi, 53, dan isterinya, Norzana Ghazali, 25, keju mozzarella mendapat permintaan tinggi daripada hotel terkemuka sekitar Langkawi, termasuk Four Seasons Resort Langkawi dan The Datai Langkawi.

Bruschi, ahli perniagaan berasal dari Itali yang berpengalaman dalam pembuatan keju berkata, pada peringkat permulaan Friendly Farms lebih menumpukan kepada aktiviti menjual daging halal dan organik.

“Bagaimanapun, selepas melihat pasaran keju mozarella boleh berkembang di negara ini, kami mengusahakannya secara kecil-kecilan sebelum ia kini muncul sebagai produk utama Friendly Farms.“Selain keju mozarella, kami memasarkan ‘fior di latte’ (produk makanan diperbuat daripada susu lembu) dan potongan daging di bawah jenama sama.

“Semua produk kami dihasilkan secara buatan tangan di premis sendiri yang beroperasi dalam kampung tradisi Melayu dengan menggunakan tenaga kerja daripada penduduk tempatan,” katanya ketika ditemui baru-baru ini.Beliau berkata, keju mozzarella dari Friendly Farms turut menjadi pilihan utama ekspatriat di Langkawi, termasuk yang tinggal di kapal persiaran mewah di Telaga Harbour Park.Sementara itu, Norzana yakin keju mozzarella dihasilkan syarikatnya mampu berkembang ke peringkat antarabangsa kerana kualitinya lebih baik, termasuk jika dibandingkan dengan produk pengeluar utama mozzarella dunia, Itali.

“Selepas mencuba, ramai tidak percayai mozzarella sebaik ini boleh dihasilkan daripada susu kerbau yang diternak di negara ini, dan sejak itu permintaan hampir tidak henti-henti dan bertambah setiap hari.“Sehingga kini kami mampu menghasilkan antara 10 hingga 15 kilogram mozzarella sehari dan ia bergantung kepada bekalan susu kerbau dari Taman Kerbau Langkawi milik Jabatan Perkhidmatan Haiwan berdekatan,” katanya.Beliau berkata, keju mozzarella bersifat lembut dan berwarna putih serta boleh diparut untuk taburan serata, berstruktur serat, bersifat cair ketika panas, selain anjal apabila ditarik dan mempunyai bau serta rasa yang lembut.

“Kami berpegang teguh pada prinsip keju mozarella yang bagus hanya boleh dihasilkan daripada susu yang baik. Susu yang baik dihasilkan daripada kerbau ternak yang terawat dengan sempurna.“Kami berbangga kerana berjaya menghasilkan keju bermutu dan lazat seperti keluaran negara lain, malah lebih baik lagi,” katanya yang yakin perniagaan berkenaan akan berkembang maju di Malaysia dalam tempoh terdekat.

Norzana berkata, mereka yang ingin mencuba keju mozzarella yang berkelembapan tinggi dan kerap digunakan dalam hidangan pizza boleh mendapatkannya terus daripada Friendly Farms dengan harga promosi antara RM100 dan RM150 sekilogram.

Harian Metro

Charter flights Guangzhou to Langkawi ~ China Southern Airlines

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourist arrivals from China are expected to increase within three weeks following the introduction of charter flights between Guangzhou and Langkawi from Tuesday by China Southern Airlines.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the northern states were most likely to benefit as the tourists were expected to make their way to Perlis and Penang after visiting Langkawi.She said direct flights would also be initiated by AirAsia beginning October between Malaysia and Wuhan.

She said new tourism products would be developed, particularly to woo the China market."We are looking at a 'filial piety' package which encourages children to buy travel packages for parents, and clan tourism that brings various Chinese associations together," she said at a press conference.

The efforts were made after the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic caused a 20 per cent drop in tourist arrivals from China last month.

A total of 58,351 tourists from China visited the country last month, 15,000 fewer compared with June last year.The country is estimated to have lost RM37 million in earnings as each tourist from China would spend about RM2,500 here.The situation prompted the ministry to organise a five-day working visit to several provinces in China.

Dr Ng said her ministry placed much emphasis on China as it was the fifth largest tourist market after Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei.Between January and last month, tourist arrivals from various countries reached 11.3 million, an increase of 3.5 per cent compared with the same period last year
~~~
New Straits Times ~ 31/07/09

Anaklangkawi :-
Its a good news for Langkawians. This means there will be a boost on tourist arrivals & especially from China. Great for Chinese traders & shops in Langkawi..

Mozarela kerbau pertama di Malaysia

BOHOR - Sekali makan, pasti nak lagi, demikian kata pemilik Friendly Farms Sdn Bhd (Friendly Farms), Norzana Ghazali, ketika memperkenalkan keju mozarela buatan tangan yang dihasilkan daripada susu kerbau dipercayai yang pertama di negara ini. Produk yang dihasilkan di sebuah premis terpencil di Kampung Nyior Chabang, di sini, kira-kira sebulan lalu mula mendapat perhatian apabila bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menulis dalam blog beliau http://www.chedet.com/.

Kini, Friendly Farms yang diusahakan bersama Norzana, 25, dan suaminya, Michael Bruschi, 53, seorang ahli perniagaan Itali yang berpengalaman dalam pembuatan keju dikunjungi ramai pelanggan untuk melihat produk itu secara lebih dekat. Norzana berkata, keju mozarela yang berasaskan susu kerbau bersama beberapa produk lain termasuk ‘fior di latte (diperbuat daripada susu lembu) dan potongan daging dipasarkan di bawah jenama Friendly Farms.

“Semua produk Friendly Farms dihasilkan secara buatan tangan di premis saya sendiri yang beroperasi di Kampung Nyior Chabang ini dengan menggunakan tenaga kerja terdiri daripada penduduk tempatan. “Pada masa ini, mutu produk kami khususnya keju mozarela mendapat pujian daripada chef berpengalaman daripada hotel terkemuka di pulau ini seperti Four Seasons Resort Langkawi dan The Datai Langkawi,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Bruschi berkata, beliau yakin keju mozarela yang dihasilkan syarikatnya mampu berkembang ke peringkat antarabangsa, malahan kualitinya lebih baik berbanding Itali iaitu negara pengeluar utama mozarela ketika ini. “Selepas mencuba ramai tidak mempercayainya, yang mozarela sebaik itu boleh dihasilkan daripada susu kerbau yang diternak di negara ini, dan sejak itu permintaan hampir tidak henti-henti dan bertambah setiap hari.

“Sehingga kini, kami mampu menghasilkan antara 10 hingga 15 kilogram mozarela sehari dan ia bergantung kepada bekalan susu kerbau daripada Taman Kerbau Langkawi milik Jabatan Perkhidmatan Haiwan berdekatan,” katanya. Mereka yang ingin mencuba keju mozarela yang berkelembapan tinggi dan kerap digunakan dalam hidangan piza boleh mendapatkannya terus dari Friendly Farms dengan harga antara RM100 dan RM150 sekilogram.

Sinar Harian 23/6/09