Tourism in Malaysia

Why travel to Malaysia?

Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia's top travel destinations, possessing an endless range of attractions and activities that cater for the cosmopolitan shopper, cultural enthusiast, historical buff and nature-lover. Divided into Peninsular Malaysia in the West and East Malaysia, part of the Borneo archipelago, the country will allure you with the shopping experience of its modern cities, the splendour of its cultural arts and natural heritage of rich flora and fauna!

In the heart of Asia lie some of the world's most beautiful beaches, with sparkling sand and crystal waters. It would be an impossible task to describe every one of Malaysia's thousands of beautiful beaches. Ranging from the powdery stretches of sand that characterize the eastern coastline of Peninsular Malaysia to the black sand beach of Pantai Pasir Hitam and the smooth pebble beach of Pantai Batu Kerikil, Malaysia's shores offer more idyllic locales than one could explore in many lifetimes.

Multiculturalism has not only made Malaysia a gastronomical paradise, it has also made Malaysia home to hundreds of colourful festivals. It's no wonder that we love celebrating and socialising. As a people, Malaysians are very laid back, warm and friendly.

Geographically, Malaysia is as diverse as its culture. There are two parts to the country, 11 states in the peninsula of Malaysia and two states on the northern part of Borneo. Cool hideaways are found in the highlands that roll down to warm, sandy beaches and rich, humid mangroves.

One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme contrasts. Towering skyscrapers look down upon wooden houses built on stilts, and five-star hotels sit several metres away from ancient reefs. For the perfect holiday full of surprises, eclectic cultures and natural wonders, the time is now, the place is Malaysia.

Country
The Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsula Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

Geographical Location
Located between 2 and 7 north of the Equator, Peninsula Malaysia is separated from the states of Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. To the north of Peninsula Malaysia is Thailand while its southern neighbour is Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are north of Indonesia in Borneo while Sarawak also shares a border with Brunei.

Capital
Kuala Lumpur

Language
Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the national language but English is widely spoken. Other languages widely spoken are Mandarin, Hakkien, Tamil and Urdu. The ethnic groups also speak various languages and dialects.

Religion
Islam is the official religion but all other religions are freely practised.

Government
Malaysia is governed by a Parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislative system. The Head of State is the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, a position that is awarded to a different State Monarch every five years and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.

Climate and Weather
Malaysia has an equatorial /tropical climate and as such the weather is warm all year round. The weather is hot and humid all year round with average temperatures of 23 - 33 C

Economic Profile
Manufacturing constitutes the largest single component of Malaysia's economy. Tourism and primary commodities such as petroleum, palm oil, natural rubber and timber are other major contributors to the economy.

Currency
The unit of currency is Malaysian Ringgit indicated as RM. AUD1 is roughly equivalent to RM2.90. Foreign currency can be converted at banks and money changers.

Banking and Office Hours
Most states: Mon - Fri: 9.15am to 4.30pm. Sat & Sun: Closed (Selected banks and branches are open on Sat). Kelantan & Terengganu: Sun - Wed:9.15am to 4.30pm. Thurs:9.15am to 4.00pm. Friday/ Saturday*/Public Holiday: Closed

Time
Eight hours ahead of GMT and 16 hours ahead of U.S. Pacific Standard Time or 2 hours ahead of Australian Eastern Standard Tome (AEST) and 3 hours ahead of AEST during daylight saving time.

Electricity
Voltage is 220 - 240 volts AC at 50 cycles per second. Standard 3-pin square plugs and sockets

Telephones
Local calls can be made from public phones using coins or pre-paid cards. International calls can be made from public phones with card phone facilities or at any Telekom office.

Pre-paid sim cards can be purchased at the bookstore at KLIA and many other outlets for mobile phones. The presentation of a passport will be required for connection purposes and credit will last from a few days up to 4 months depending on the package purchased.

Accommodation
Malaysia has a wide range of accommodation at competitive rates. Six-star, medium range, budget hotels, youth hostels, beach chalets and timeshare apartments are just some of the types of accommodation available. Privately operated motor-homes are also available for rent.

For the perfect holiday full of surprises, eclectic cultures and natural wonders, the time is now, the place is Malaysia.

More info about tourism in Malaysia go to tourism malaysia website http://www.tourismmalaysia.com.my

Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa launches Extreme Park@GPT

New beach holiday resort must you know..

Managed by Swiss-Belhotel International, Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa is a beach holiday resort located in Sepang in the southern part of Selangor, Malaysia. A tranquil region of plantations and beautiful scenery that is growing in popularity as a nature tourism destination, Sepang is also the location of Sepang International Circuit.

Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa was chosen as the preferred host for internationally acclaimed artistes, race drivers and racing teams participating in the 2011 Malaysian F-1 Grand Prix, the Super GT and the Malaysian Moto GP and this honour has already been extended for a number race events in 2012. The resort has also earned several international accolades, including the distinguished Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce and Industry award (MFCCI) under its Green Technology Category, and the Best Eco-Tourism Product: Most Innovative Tourism Attraction 2010/2011.

Stretching out from the shore almost a kilometre into the sheltered waters of the Straits of Malacca, Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa is uniquely designed in the form of palm fronds. Featuring broad walkways between over 300 comfortable and stylish sea villas, the resort is a fusion of modern and traditional design. Although “away from it all”, Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa is nonetheless not far from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Incorporating all the delights and expectations of a seaside holiday destination, the resort offers a wide range of world class services and facilities, including excursions to the beautiful surrounding countryside. Besides a serene and peaceful sandy beach, which is perfect for relaxing and sunbathing, guests can enjoy the resort's recreation centre which offers a fitness room, library and TV room. There is also choice of international restaurants and bars, boutiques, and a spa.

Extreme Park @ GPT

Innovation in providing guests with the ultimate holiday experience has been one of the keys to the success of Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa. The resort's latest exciting initiative; Extreme Park @ GPT is designed specially for lovers of challenging sports. Built on the shore adjacent to the resort, Extreme Park @ GPT is a multi-blend of extreme sports that includes go-karts, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), target paintball and archery. This exciting new attraction will be launched on Friday 20th January, 2012 and will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

“Swiss-Belhotel International welcomes this exciting new attraction initiated by General Manager of Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa, Mr. Pascal Prigent and his team and brought to realisation in conjunction with the property owners. Extreme Park @ GPT will be a valuable asset to Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa and to Swiss-Belhotel International,” commented Mr. Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President.

A Malay culinary favorite makes polemics in Malaysia

A Malay culinary favorite.

This could have been a very funny story in Malaysia if the polemics developing around a national Malay dish did not exude hints of racism. Nasi Lemak is one of Malaysia’s tastiest dishes. It is widely available, sold in any good Malay restaurant or food stall. It consists of fragrant rice flavored with coconut milk accompanied by a fried egg, beef or chicken marinated in deliciously-spicy gravy, and accompanied by dried fish, peanuts, and a kind of onion dumpling (called “begadel”).

A couple of years ago, Kampung Bahru district in Kuala Lumpur – probably the last old-style Malay enclave in the city center - used to have one of the best places for nasi lemak (I personally used to go there often). People were queuing all night long to savor the delicacy at a small restaurant called "Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa" ("Nasi lemak International"). Since then, the owner changed, and the recipe sadly changed as well.

Just to highlight that Nasi Lemak can be considered as one of the top favorite dishes in the country, in Malay, "nasi lemak" means "fat rice" and this is where polemics started. On April 26, Malaysia’s Ministry of Health issued new guidelines to promote healthier food in school canteens. Nasi Lemak was part of 70 food items restricted or banned. It does not look that radical: Malaysia’s favorite dish can still come on school kids’ menus twice a week. So much also for Laksa (a kind of curry flavored soup eventually cooked with coconut milk), and another famed dish, the nasi goreng (fried rice); also restricted to once a week were curry mee (noodles), lotong (rice compressed cake), and nasi pulut (black glutinous rice, stunning in desserts).

The list was published following a study from University Kebangsaan Malaysia, which looked at the cause of obesity. It showed that obesity among pupils had increased from 11 percent in 2002 to 13.3 percent in 2008. The study demonstrated also that nasi lemak, fried noodles, and chicken rice were schoolchildren’s favorite foods, while burgers were the most popular fast food (34.4 percent) followed by fried chicken (26.5 percent) and pizza. Most of them being of course high-calorie dishes.

It could have gone unnoticed, but in today's Malaysia, anything can turn into polemics. Pointing out the symbolic nasi lemak as one of the sources to children’s obesity infuriated the Malay community. Beyond the kind of sentimental link to this humble dish, many people felt the advice carried a racist undertone as it targeted a typical Malay dish. Some readers in local newspapers started then to ask why kway teow (a delicious dish of Chinese flat noodles fried with chilies), mee hoon (tiny noodles), or roti canai (Indian crepe) did not faced similar restrictions. In readers' comments in the New Strait Times, some Malays draw a line with the fact that the current Health Ministry Seri Liow Tiong Lai is Chinese and that the semi-ban was politically motivated.

Singapore daily, the Strait Times, in its edition on May 2, cited another newspaper from Kuala Lumpur's "Utusan Malaysia," which wrote that the move to take nasi lemak out of the schools was even "racially motivated." The newspaper questioned, in fact, why other snacks were not banned in the same way with the comment that “perhaps these snacks manufacturers are non-Malays.” It is indeed quite true that Chinese-style fried noodles such as Kway Teow are probably as calorific as nasi lemak.

The polemics might have at least a positive outcome: it will boost the interest for Malaysian food as some curious travelers might desire to understand all the fuss about nasi lemak by having a bite of it. Coincidentally, as Malaysians were weighting the pro and contra of the famous dish for school kids, Tourism Malaysia announced in Dubai to intensify promotion programs abroad on Malaysian food and culture, with special culinary weeks to be organized all around the world to boost tourists’ interest. A festival of Malaysian Food and Culture took place during the Arabian Travel Market at the Shangri-La Dubai with locals able to taste satay, laksa, mee goreng, and the famous nasi lemak.