Tourism Malaysia PR Blog

Monday 25 June 2012

MALAYSIA’S RICH CULTURE & UNIQUE HERITAGE MAKES IT A CULTURE VULTURE’S PARADISE


Malaysia is a multi-cultural society, heavily influenced by the ancient Malay culture and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners – China and India. Although each of these cultures has retained their religions, customs and way of life, they have also blended together to create Malaysia's diverse heritage, including two cultural UNESCO World Heritage Cities, with Malaysia celebrating their heritage with a large number of public festivals and parades throughout the year. Malaysia entices the culture-vulture and heritage loving visitor from the UK with fantastic value-for-money packages, with a 5 night break in Capital City Kuala Lumpur for as little as £699.

Malaysia’s two cultural UNESCO World Heritage Cities are both located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia: Melaka City, the capital of Malacca and George Town, the capital of Penang. Melaka City has unique architecture inherited from centuries of Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. One of the best ways for holidaymakers to learn about the culture of Melaka City is to visit the Melaka Sultanate Palace that showcases clothing, stone inscriptions, musical instruments and photographs of the past decades. Another must see in Malacca is A’Famosa, a Portuguese fort built around the city in 1511 by Alfonso d’Albuquerque. The fort was badly damaged in the 17th and 18th Century, leaving only the iconic gateway standing, near St. Paul’s Church.  George Town was awarded UNESCO status for its ‘outstanding universal value’, with its well-preserved colonial core and original shophouses. Penang Sate Museum allows holidaymakers to best discover the multiethnic background of George Town. Both Melaka City and George Town celebrate their UNESCO Awards on 07 July each year with a month long cultural and music celebration. For those wanting to learn more about the history of Malaysia, the state of Kedah is a great place to start as Malaysia’s largest archaeological site. Ancient Kedah inhabitants are believed to be the oldest civilization in South East Asia.

Due to the various cultures present, there are a number of religions in Malaysia, including Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism, with the most prevalent being Muslim. All religions are free to practice their individual beliefs and customs and public holidays mark the most important festivals of each group. One of the most notorious religious holidays in Malaysia is Deepavali or ‘Festival of Lights’ that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year and is celebrated with prayers, family gatherings and festivities. Hindu families invite friends to their homes to celebrate (except in Labuan and Sarawak) and this year in Malaysia the festival falls on 13 November. A large festival for the Muslim community in Malaysia is Hari Raya Aidilftri or Hari Raya Puasa that marks the end of Ramadan, the fasting month and the first day of Syawal, the tenth month of the Muslim calendar that is on 19 August this year.  This again is a time for open houses when Muslims welcome their relatives and friends round to celebrate, houses are spring-cleaned in preparation and special decorations are usually put up. In the Kampungs (villages) the houses are spectacularly lit up at this time of year.

One of the largest musical events in Malaysia, the Rainforest World Music Festival, with the spectacular rainforest of Sarawak as its setting aims to celebrate world music with performances by ethnic musicians from around the world on 13 – 15 July 2012. For those planning ahead ‘Colours of Malaysia’ is a month long festival held annually from the end of May to June in Kuala Lumpur. The celebration showcases the cultural heritage of the 13 states consisting of a grand procession and traditional dance performers parading through Malaysia’s Capital.

This mix of cultural heritage has greatly influenced Malaysia’s architecture from the unique longhouses in Sabah and Sarawak and the Mosques, Chinese, Buddhist, Hindu & Sikh Temples that can be found across the country to the modern day Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
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For more information, please contact:
Representation Plus
Flo Powell
Tel: 020 8877 4509
Mob: 077 6624 2138

Travel Packages:
Trailfinders (02073 681200 or www.trailfinders.com) offer a 5 night holiday staying at the 4 star Parkroyal in Kuala Lumpur with breakfast & return flights with Vietnam Airlines for £699. This price includes a half day city tour of Kuala Lumpur. Valid for travel dates 10-16 November 2012. All prices are per person based on twin or double share, all include all offers stated and are subject to availability.

Kuoni (01306 747008 or www.kuoni.co.uk) offer seven nights on room only basis at The Andaman, Langkawi in a deluxe room, including flights with Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow with private transfers in resort.  Prices for November 2012 are from £1425 per person, based on two sharing.

Friday 22 June 2012

1MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL TOURISM NIGHT FLORAL PARADE 2012 PROMISES TO DAZZLE


About a million people are expected to watch 15 lighted boats take part in the second 1Malaysia International Tourism Night Floral Parade (1MITNFP) organised in conjunction with the Putrajaya Floria 2012 at Putrajaya Lake, Precinct 2 in Putrajaya from 30 June until 8 July.

His Majesty, Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Almu’tasimu Billahi Muhibuddin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah and Her Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong Hajah Haminah are scheduled to officially launch the event at 8.30 pm on 30 June.

Themed “Magic of the Night”, all boats, lighted and decorated to represent popular tourism icons, will sail along the Putrajaya Lake for nine consecutive nights from 8.30 pm until 9.30 pm before they drop anchor for a static display from 9.30 pm until 11.30 pm.  

Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Malaysia together with 13 other boats from the state governments (Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu), Putrajaya Corporation, Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) and foreign participants (Kenya and Suzhou, China) are vying for awards in four categories - Overall Best Boat, Most Creative Boat, Best Lighted Boat and Most Popular Boat.

The 1MITNFP 2012 activities consist of night floral boats photography contest, fireworks display, musical and cultural group performances, concert, Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Dance and 1Malaysia Green and 1Malaysia Clean Campaign.

Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia, the annual 1MITNFP is held in conjunction with the Floria Putrajaya Festival, Malaysia’s premier outdoor garden and flower showcase, which displays the best of the local and international landscape and horticulture industry.

Themed “Bougainvillea - Enduring Beauty”, FLORIA 2012 will showcase the biggest collection of Bougainvillea in full bloom with outdoor and indoor theme garden displays.

1Malaysia International Tourism Night Floral Parade 2012 Package

In conjunction with the 1Malaysia International Tourism Night Floral Parade (1MITNFP), a total of 11 tour packages called 1Malaysia International Tourism Night Floral Parade 2012 Package have been developed to encourage local tourists and expatriates to watch the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia’s signature event.

The tour packages were developed by nine travel agencies from four states comprising Perlis, Perak, Penang and Selangor with the assistance of Tourism Malaysia.

The nine travel agents offering these tour packages are Tampak Yakin Holidays (M) Sdn. Bhd., Dcl Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. and Nakawan Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. (Perlis), Suria Indah Holiday Sdn. Bhd. (Penang), Komas Safar Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. and Rhinoairiel Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. (Perak) and Tahan Holidays Sdn. Bhd., Permai Rantau Sdn. Bhd. and 3T Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. (Selangor).

The prices of these packages range from RM150 to RM835 and the package is available for sale from today until 6 July.

For more information on 1MITNFP 2012, please contact Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia at 03-8891 7000 or email info@motour.gov.my.

For more information on 1MITNFP package, please contact Nurulhaini Shapii, Domestic Marketing Division, Tourism Malaysia at 03-8891 8417 or email nurulhaini@tourism.gov.my.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

TASTE MALAYSIA’S GASTRONOMY – A MELTING POT OF INGREDIENTS AND INFLUENCES AT TASTE OF LONDON 2012 OR TRY A RECIPE YOURSELF


Malaysian cuisine is as diverse as the nation itself, fusing the culinary traditions and flavours of Asian, Arabian and European cooking, making it an appetising destination to visit for food lovers and Channel 4 Food has named Malaysian cuisine as a top trend for 2012. British Travellers also site gastronomy in their top 5 reasons to choose a holiday destination.

Each state in Malaysia has something different to offer in terms of culinary delights, with the capital Kuala Lumpur offering the most diverse range of food from all over the world. Areas such as Ipoh and Penang receive many tourists who visit specifically to savour local favourites, such as asam laksa, which is a delicious combination of rice noodles and spicy fish gravy and the aromatic char koay teow made from flat rice noodles stir fried with soy sauce, prawns, cockles, chilli, bean sprouts and Chinese chives. The Kelantan region is a true celebration of Malay culture, serving exotic Malay food rich in flavour, whilst the town of Kajang in the Selangor region is reputed to serve the best satay (skewers of thick, succulent meat barbecued over charcoal embers) in the country. Malacca, in the southern region, is home to delicious Baba Nyonya food, much of it served in quaint cafés in historical shophouses.

Malaysia’s culinary tradition has resulted in the country producing some of its own world renowned chefs. Chef Wan (Redzuawan Ismail) is the 'Food Ambassador of Malaysia' who has successfully travelled the world introducing the culinary art of Malaysian Cuisine. Penang born, but now Manchester based, Norman Musa is a rising star as a chef proprietor of the new Ning Restaurant in York, whilst Caroline Mi Li Artiss is another up and coming Malaysian chef. Caroline is half Malaysian and half English, specialising in Malaysian and Asian cuisine, producing healthy recipes and meal plans.

Caroline and Norman both campaign on behalf of ‘Malaysia Kitchen’, a Malaysian Government initiative that aims to educate and inform British consumers about the inspiring world of Malaysian cuisine and inspire British Tourists to visit Malaysia. Visit www.malaysiakitchen.co.uk for more information, to locate one of the 50+ UK Malaysian restaurants near you, try the 12 recipes and find details on where to find their ingredients. The initiative has recently seen Chef Norman and Chef Caroline cooking and distributing fresh Malaysian cuisine on the ‘Malaysia Kitchen Street Food Tour’ that took in 5 UK cities and this will be repeated at Taste of London on 21 – 24 June 2012. Alternatively, visit Malaysia during Fabulous Food 1Malaysia – Malaysia’s own International Gourmet Festival taking place throughout October. Master Chef winner Tim Anderson is the 2011/12 official Malaysia Kitchen Ambassador and Tim has demonstrated how to cook the perfect Malaysian dish at events throughout the UK, following in Gary Rhodes and Rick Stein’s footsteps.

Tim Anderson, 2011/2012 official Malaysia Kitchen Ambassador talks of his culinary travels to Malaysia: “Whenever I travel to a new country, I make a point to visit at least one grocery store while I'm there. They're like living museums; collections of objects that comprise and nourish a culture and Malaysia is no different”.

To become the real envy of the dinner party circuit, share your Malaysian holiday experiences as well as tastes. A great way for holiday makers to sample truly traditional cuisine is to visit Malaysia on a homestay programme. Malaysia's communities have opened up their homes to allow foreign guests to taste the village lifestyle. During the homestay, guests can receive cooking lessons, learn how to gather and prepare a meal with the host family. For example a Penang Homestay accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner in a double room for two is 280MYR or £56 per couple for 1 night, see www.go2homestay.com. Alternatively a 10 night stay in four star hotels including return flights start at £1,099 per person.

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For more information, please contact:
Representation Plus
Flo Powell
Email: flo@representationplus.co.uk
Tel: 020 8877 4509

Travel Packages:
Hayes & Jarvis (0844 415 1918 / www.hayesandjarvis.com) has a 10-night twin-centre break available to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, priced from £1,099 per person – saving 21 per cent (£294pp). Departing on 2 November, the package comprises three nights’ room only accommodation at four-star Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur (with one bonus night) followed by seven nights’ B&B at the four-star plus Hard Rock Hotel Penang (with three bonus nights), Malaysia Airlines flights from London Heathrow and transfers.

Audley Travel 01993 838 100 (www.audleytravel.com)  taking in the key highlights of Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang and Langkawi, Audley Travel can organise a gastronomic 2 week tour from £2190. "Malaysia offers some of the best food in Asia" says Caroline Parry of Audley Travel. "Taking time to travel up the west coast means a myriad of delights, and time to relax on the lovely beaches of Langkawi at the end of the tour".  The price of £2290 for two weeks includes international flights from Heathrow, domestic flights in Malaysia and all applicable taxes. Also included are private transfers, a cooking class and some excursions. Accommodation is on a b & b basis in 4 star hotels throughout.   

Kuoni (01306 747008 or www.kuoni.co.uk) offer seven nights in Malaysia, staying two nights on room only at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur and five on room & breakfast at the Shangri La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa in Penang, including flights from London with domestic flights and transfers in resort.  Prices for 2012 are from £1478 per person, based on two sharing.

MALAYSIAN AIRLINES FLIES TWICE DAILY INTO KUALA LUMPUR FROM LONDON HEATHROW.

HAVE A GO AT CHEF CAROLINE MI LI ARTISS’ ASAM LAKSA RECIPE:

This is a classic dish found all over Malaysia from the Peranckan culture.  There are traditionally two types of laksa – curry laksa and ayam laksa.  Curry Laksa is a spicy coconut curry soup with noodles while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. There are many different regional variations of Laksa in Malaysia including Johor Laksa, Penang Laksa and Sarawak Laksa.

Directions
To start, add all the ingredients for the spice paste into your blender with 1 tablespoon of oil and whiz until it becomes a fine paste. Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan and add the spice paste.  Cook on a low heat for 7 minutes to make all the flavours infuse together.  Then add the sugar and salt, cook for a further minute or two then add the water.  Bring to the boil, then turn heat down to simmer and add the coconut milk.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Ingredients
Serves 4 people


Spice paste:

•    10 macadamia nuts / or 5 brazil nuts
•    1 stalk lemon grass
•    1 inch piece galangal (or ginger)
•    1 tsp turmeric powder
•    1 tsp ground black pepper (use 2 tsp if you like it to have a kick!)
•    2 tsp ground coriander
•    10 shallots
•    4 cloves garlic
•    1 tsp belachan
•    6- 8 red chillies de seeded (depending on how spicy you like it)
•    1 litre / 4 cups water
•    400ml can coconut milk
•    2 tsp sugar (dark brown or palm sugar best)
•    2 tsp salt
•    4 tbsp sunflower oil
•    1 chicken breast cooked and shredded
•    250g fresh de shelled and cleaned king prawns
•    3 egg omelette shredded
•    Handful of fresh coriander chopped
•    500g Fine rice noodles – vermicelli / meehoon cooked (you can use whatever noodles you fancy)
•    Handful bean sprouts

Cooking equipment:

•    1 large saucepan
•    Small wok or frying pan
•    Blender