DAILY EXPRESS
Published on March 9, 2012
SEMPORNA: Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) for the hospitality and tourism industry in Sabah should be looked at with equal gravity as OSH for the other industries.
Chairman of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh), Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye stated in a statement on Thursday that this is because accidents which can result in injuries or death can occur in the hospitality and tourism industry if steps are not taken to prevent them.
Recent tragedies that occurred in Sabah involving foreign tourists are a case in point, he said while speaking at the opening of a two-day seminar here, n OSH for the hospitality and tourism industry.
"The hospitality and tourism industry is rapidly growing in Sabah. The industry has created employment opportunities.
"Although many would perceive the hospitality industry as onw tih the least occupational hazards, the fact remains that the rist their workers face are similar to others in other industries."
Among those identified, Lee said, are overexertion, burns, slips, sprains, cuts, bio-hazards, falls and many other safety and health hazards that can be listed.
For too long, occupational safety and health in the hospitality and tourism industry has not been given sufficient attention than it deserves, he pointed out.
"Fortunately, this perception is changing. Vaious studies have shown that service sector workers face various workplace hazards that merit serious attention by employers.
"While life-threatening and acute injuries are uncommon in the hospitality industry, work-related hazards do exists, " he said.
In 2010 the number of accidents related to accommodation and food services activities reported to Socso stood at 1,856 cases, while 270 cases were reported for activities related to amusement and recreatioal services, Lee revealed.
"However, the numbers only reflect those that are registered with Socso. It could be higher.
"This is because, this industry deals with large number of young employees and various activities involved such as food preparation, house-keeping, cleaning, food and beverage service, and operation of office equipment, "he said.
"Good OSH practice does not only provide a safe and healthy workplace environment for the workers but could also reduce the risks of accidents from hapenning.
"Hazards such as manual handling, slips, trips, and falls, machinery and equipment mishandled, hazardous substances and dangerous goods, and burns and cuts are threats to a worker's safety and well being, " Lee said.
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
NEWS OF TODAY ~Hoping Wetlands won't have to sacrifice for sake of condo
Daily Express
Published on Sunday, February 26,2012
"At the moment I think everything has been put on hold because of the city's masterplan (local draft plan) and if we are not successful (in preventing the move to excise) and it happens then it will be a disaster for the centre. Just imagine there will be three blocks of 31 storeys for 500 units of condominiums and it will be just outside our boundary," he said.
"We hope it will not come true. The proposal is still there and anything can happen but we will make sure we put our views very strongly to the authorities because the government only collects one time fees or taxes in this case but the damage to the environment will be done for years to come."
It was learnt that there is a proposal for City Hall to approve plans to construct an access road to sustain traffic for over 1,000 vehicles for the proposed condominium residents through part of the wetland area.
Zainie was responding to questions at the launching of World Wetlands Day at the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands on Saturday which was officiated at by Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit.
World Wetlands Day is traditionally celebrated in February to mark the date of adoption of the International Convention on Wetlands on Feb 2, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran.
"SWCS has been organising World Wetlands Day celebration as one of its major events each year with the support of HSBC Bank under its CSR programme "Invest in the Young and the Future".
"The celebration this year will focus on the theme "Wetlands and Tourism" with the slogan 'Wetland Tourism: A Great Experience' which has been designed to create a sense of awareness about the role tourism plays on the environment.
"Wetland tourism has benefits both locally and nationally for people and wildlife such as stronger economies, sustainable livelihoods, healthy people and thriving ecosystems," he said.
Zainie said wetlands make ideal locations for tourism as it provides other "services" too such as water, abundance of fish, plenty of wildlife, water purification and erosion control for the benefit of tourists and tourist accommodation.
"The income generated by tourism for national and local economies by wetlands can be substantial.
It is acknowledged in the tourism industry that Wetlands designated as Ramsar Sites attract local and international tourists.
"SWCS is continuing with its efforts to obtain Ramsar site status for Kota Kinabalu Wetlands and being within the boundary of the City of Kota Kinabalu, it will definitely promote tourism," he said.
At the event 116 students from eight schools were presented with awards by SWCS for participating in the recent birding activity (Bird Race) which was organised on Feb 18-19.
Friday, February 24, 2012
NEWS OF THE DAY ~400,000 Filipino tourists targeted
THE STAR
Published : 25 February 2012
MANILA: Malaysia is targeting at least 400,000 tourists from the Philippines this year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
Last year, 362,101 Philippines tourists visited the country.
“The airline representatives have agreed to increase the frequency of flights to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu from March.
“From March 25, MAS will increase its flights to three times a day; SEAIR would fly three times a week from Clarke Fields to Kota Kinabalu, Zest Air will likely start flights from mid year and AirAsia is looking at increasing flights,” said Dr Ng when speaking to Malaysian media here just after a meeting representatives of five airline operators here.
Later, she held a meeting with Philippines Secretary of Tourism Ramon Jimenez Jr to discuss bilateral collaboration in tourism. Present were the countries respective ambassadors Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad and J. Eduardo Malaya.
Dr Ng added that they planned to use each other’s strong connectivity with different regions and markets.
She added that they had also invited the Philippines to join an international tourism exhibition and fair in KL on May 31.
Dr Ng was also in Manila to host a luxury Malaysia Gala Lunch in conjunction with the 13th edition of the Islamic Fashion Festival.
Published : 25 February 2012
MANILA: Malaysia is targeting at least 400,000 tourists from the Philippines this year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
Last year, 362,101 Philippines tourists visited the country.
“The airline representatives have agreed to increase the frequency of flights to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu from March.
“From March 25, MAS will increase its flights to three times a day; SEAIR would fly three times a week from Clarke Fields to Kota Kinabalu, Zest Air will likely start flights from mid year and AirAsia is looking at increasing flights,” said Dr Ng when speaking to Malaysian media here just after a meeting representatives of five airline operators here.
Later, she held a meeting with Philippines Secretary of Tourism Ramon Jimenez Jr to discuss bilateral collaboration in tourism. Present were the countries respective ambassadors Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad and J. Eduardo Malaya.
Dr Ng added that they planned to use each other’s strong connectivity with different regions and markets.
She added that they had also invited the Philippines to join an international tourism exhibition and fair in KL on May 31.
Dr Ng was also in Manila to host a luxury Malaysia Gala Lunch in conjunction with the 13th edition of the Islamic Fashion Festival.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
NEWS OF THE DAY ~ Tourism Ministry wants MAS, AirAsia X to resume suspended flights
THE STAR
Published: Tuesday February 14, 2012 MYT 6:48:00 PM
RAUB: The Tourism Ministry will intensify its efforts to persuade Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia X to resume their flights to regional and international destinations, which were suspended recently. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, said this was important as the suspension of the flights would cause the tourism industry to suffer a massive decline in the number of tourist arrivals to Malaysia and hence, lose billions of ringgit in revenue.
"This is because each foreign tourist will spend between RM1,000 and RM4,000 depending on their country of origin," she told Bernama after presenting the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) to over 400 recipients in Raub parliamentary constituency here Tuesday.
However, Dr Ng said the ministry realised that the matter was beyond its jurisdiction and hence, could only hope that the two companies would reconsider their decisions.
"We cannot do anything as this is their business decision and they must have their own plans and strategies, but we will work harder to encourage and persuade both MAS and AirAsia X to resume the suspended flights," she said.
Dr Ng said to overcome the issue of declining number of tourist arrivals, the ministry would focus more on the tourists who would stay longer and spend more in Malaysia.
The ministry is expecting 25 million tourist arrivals for this year with a targeted revenue of RM60bil, she said.
Air Asia X had recently suspended four of its international flights, namely to Mumbai, New Delhi, Paris and London, while MAS suspended its regional routes, namely Kota Kinabalu-Osaka, Kota Kinabalu-Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu-Haneda (Tokyo) and Kota Kinabalu-Seoul last month.
MAS has also reduced the frequency of its flights from Kuala Lumpur to Surabaya, Johannesburg and Rome, Kuala Lumpur-Karachi-Dubai, Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-Damman, Kuala Lumpur-Cape Town-Buenos Aires, and Langkawi-Penang-Singapore. - Bernama
"This is because each foreign tourist will spend between RM1,000 and RM4,000 depending on their country of origin," she told Bernama after presenting the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) to over 400 recipients in Raub parliamentary constituency here Tuesday.
However, Dr Ng said the ministry realised that the matter was beyond its jurisdiction and hence, could only hope that the two companies would reconsider their decisions.
"We cannot do anything as this is their business decision and they must have their own plans and strategies, but we will work harder to encourage and persuade both MAS and AirAsia X to resume the suspended flights," she said.
Dr Ng said to overcome the issue of declining number of tourist arrivals, the ministry would focus more on the tourists who would stay longer and spend more in Malaysia.
The ministry is expecting 25 million tourist arrivals for this year with a targeted revenue of RM60bil, she said.
Air Asia X had recently suspended four of its international flights, namely to Mumbai, New Delhi, Paris and London, while MAS suspended its regional routes, namely Kota Kinabalu-Osaka, Kota Kinabalu-Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu-Haneda (Tokyo) and Kota Kinabalu-Seoul last month.
MAS has also reduced the frequency of its flights from Kuala Lumpur to Surabaya, Johannesburg and Rome, Kuala Lumpur-Karachi-Dubai, Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-Damman, Kuala Lumpur-Cape Town-Buenos Aires, and Langkawi-Penang-Singapore. - Bernama
NEWS FOR THE DAY ~ M’sia looking to lure more tourists from South Asia
THE STAR
Tuesday February 14, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Malaysia are on a 10-day sales mission to India and Pakistan as the country eyes more tourists from South Asia.
Led by Tourism Malaysia acting director-general Datuk Azizan Noordin, the mission will travel to Ahmadebad, Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi in India, as well as Karachi in Pakistan until Feb 23.
The tourism promotion agency said it was targeting 720,000 tourists from India and 70,000 from Pakistan for this year.
The sales mission comprises tour operators, hoteliers and state tourism agencies.
New and innovative tourism pro-ducts such as the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival and 1Malaysia International Shoe Festival will be highlighted, besides promoting Malaysia as a second home and business tourism destination.
Tourism Malaysia launched its new television commercial campaign for the South Asia market in November last year, showcasing the country as a high-end holiday destination with focus on luxury and premium products.
Last year, 693,056 tourists from India and 73,046 from Pakistan visited Malaysia. — Bernama
The tourism promotion agency said it was targeting 720,000 tourists from India and 70,000 from Pakistan for this year.
The sales mission comprises tour operators, hoteliers and state tourism agencies.
New and innovative tourism pro-ducts such as the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival and 1Malaysia International Shoe Festival will be highlighted, besides promoting Malaysia as a second home and business tourism destination.
Tourism Malaysia launched its new television commercial campaign for the South Asia market in November last year, showcasing the country as a high-end holiday destination with focus on luxury and premium products.
Last year, 693,056 tourists from India and 73,046 from Pakistan visited Malaysia. — Bernama
Friday, February 10, 2012
NEWS OF THE DAY ~ Sabah tourist arrivals up 13.6 pct in 2011 to 2.84 mln
BORNEO POST
Posted on February 10, 2012, Friday
KOTA KINABALU: Tourist arrivals in Sabah last year rose by 13.6 per cent to 2.84 million compared to 2010, said State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun yesterday. He said the figure not only exceeded Sabah Tourism Board’s (STB) arrival projection of 2.63 million, but also achieved its 2012 projection of 2.75 million.
According to him, the industry contributed an estimated RM4.98 billion, proving the importance of air accessibility for the industry.
“It was an unpredictable year-end with the flight issues. However, I am pleased to say that Sabah recorded double-digit growth every month since March last year.
“This consistency of growth shows the strong demand of visitors coming to our state either for leisure or business with 96 per cent arriving by air,” he said in a statement here.
Masidi said the strong markets that contributed to the figure were China (including Hong Kong) which grew by 37.6 per cent, Australia (33.3 per cent) and Japan (18.4 per cent), despite the recent Japan tsunami crisis.
Domestic tourists recorded the highest number of visitors with 1.99 million or an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2010, he added.
Meanwhile, Masidi remained optimistic for this year, despite being a challenging one with Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) recent route rationalisation.
“The rationalisation will especially affect the Japan and Western Australia markets.
“There are now no direct flights between Sabah and Japan, while for Australia, Sabah Tourism Board is working hard with other airlines to continue offering Sabah holiday packages,” he said.
He said MAS should have continued to develop the Kota Kinabalu-Perth route as there was very strong growth at 33.3 per cent of Australian arrivals in Sabah last year.
“I am sure the route would have eventually been very profitable for MAS in a relatively short period of time,” he added.
This year, Masidi said, the state government is targeting regional and domestic markets and would be working closely with local industry players to improve the product quality as well as introducing attractive holiday packages during the low season.
“We are also looking into collaborating with three-star and four-star hotels to offer affordable holiday packages during non-peak season to achieve the 2012 projection of 2.93 million visitors. — Bernama
Posted on February 10, 2012, Friday
KOTA KINABALU: Tourist arrivals in Sabah last year rose by 13.6 per cent to 2.84 million compared to 2010, said State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun yesterday. He said the figure not only exceeded Sabah Tourism Board’s (STB) arrival projection of 2.63 million, but also achieved its 2012 projection of 2.75 million.
According to him, the industry contributed an estimated RM4.98 billion, proving the importance of air accessibility for the industry.
“It was an unpredictable year-end with the flight issues. However, I am pleased to say that Sabah recorded double-digit growth every month since March last year.
“This consistency of growth shows the strong demand of visitors coming to our state either for leisure or business with 96 per cent arriving by air,” he said in a statement here.
Masidi said the strong markets that contributed to the figure were China (including Hong Kong) which grew by 37.6 per cent, Australia (33.3 per cent) and Japan (18.4 per cent), despite the recent Japan tsunami crisis.
Domestic tourists recorded the highest number of visitors with 1.99 million or an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2010, he added.
Meanwhile, Masidi remained optimistic for this year, despite being a challenging one with Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) recent route rationalisation.
“The rationalisation will especially affect the Japan and Western Australia markets.
“There are now no direct flights between Sabah and Japan, while for Australia, Sabah Tourism Board is working hard with other airlines to continue offering Sabah holiday packages,” he said.
He said MAS should have continued to develop the Kota Kinabalu-Perth route as there was very strong growth at 33.3 per cent of Australian arrivals in Sabah last year.
“I am sure the route would have eventually been very profitable for MAS in a relatively short period of time,” he added.
This year, Masidi said, the state government is targeting regional and domestic markets and would be working closely with local industry players to improve the product quality as well as introducing attractive holiday packages during the low season.
“We are also looking into collaborating with three-star and four-star hotels to offer affordable holiday packages during non-peak season to achieve the 2012 projection of 2.93 million visitors. — Bernama
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