MALAYSIA’S TOURISM HIGHLIGHTS – JUNE 2013

It’s a busy month of June! Visitors will be able to enjoy exciting events taking place all over Malaysia every single day in June. Here are some of the highlights:

MELAKA INTERNATIONAL RIVER FESTIVAL 2013, 25 MAY – 30 JUNE 
Inspired by the San Antonio River Festival in USA, Melaka International River Festival 2013 is back for the whole month of June. Among the highlights include a water sports fiesta, dragon boat competitions and decorative floats parade. With more than 100 events prepared, this well-known state tourism event is expected to draw not less than 800,000 tourists. http://www.gogomelaka.com/event/MELAKA-INTERNATIONAL-RIVER-FESTIVAL.html.

KUANTAN CENTURY RIDE 2013 (KUANTAN 160), 02 JUNE 2013 
The biggest cycling event in the East Coast aims to create awareness of cycling among the community and promote Pahang as an ideal cycling destination in Malaysia. The event is expected to attract no less than 800 riders from more than 10 countries in the world. www.kuantan160.asia.

BORNEO BIRD FESTIVAL 2013, 07-09 JUNE 2013
The Borneo Bird Festival celebrates the beauty of wild birds in Malaysian Borneo. Spread over 3 days, the event offers a great opportunity for visitors to see up to 570 bird species. Highlights of the event include a bird photography competition, Borneo bird race and guided bird watching walk. www.borneobirdfestival.com

KOTA KINABALU JAZZ FESTIVAL 2013, 14-15 JUNE 2013 
The jazz musical extravaganza in Kota Kinabalu is back with a line-up of local and international artists. The Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival 2013 is now a signature event of Sabah which represents many different facets of jazz music. www.kkjazzfest.com.

SABAH DRAGON BOAT RACE, 15-16 JUNE 2013
Organised in conjunction with the Duan Wu festival, Sabah Dragon Boat Race 2013 has attracted many local and international teams as far as Hong Kong, China and Japan. Look out for the most popular Dragon Boat delicacy – rice dumplings filled with water chestnuts and minced meat. www.sabahdragonboat.my.

SABAH INTERNATIONAL FOLKLORE FESTIVAL 2013, 23-28 JUNE 2013 
Dance troupes from around the world gather as cultural ambassadors for the annual Sabah International Folklore Festival 2013. The event aims to promote culture tourism and provide a platform for participating countries to share their unique cultures through folk song and dance performances. Watch and be entertained by this east meets west musical extravaganza. www.sabah.gov.my/lks/v2/index.php?q=siff-main.

“MAGIC OF THE NIGHT” - 1MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL TOURISM NIGHT FLORAL PARADE, 22-30 JUNE 2013
Visitors will witness a procession of beautifully lighted and decorated boats that cruise across the Putrajaya Lake every night. The main events include night floral boats photography contest, fireworks display, and also cultural group performances.

PUTRAJAYA FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL 2013, 22-30 JUNE 2013
Popularly known as Floria Putrajaya, the Putrajaya Flower and Garden Festival 2013 showcases the best of the landscape and horticulture industry; from commercial landscape products to garden design and flower displays. Local and international exhibitors from as far as the UK and South Africa are invited to create exceptional displays and presentations in a garden setting environment. Highlights of the event include showcase gardens, floral pavilion, and the night floral parade. Admission is free www.tourism.gov.my.

SUNSET MUSIC FESTIVAL 2013, 28-29 JUNE 2013 
Sunset Music Festival 2013 features a line-up of local and foreign musicians performing classical favourites, contemporary tunes and evergreen local hits that will get the crowd to their feet. Experience it at one of Sabah’s most breath-taking locations. www.sunsetmusicfest.my.

RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2013, 28-30 JUNE 2013
This year’s Rainforest World Music Festival 2013 will gather music enthusiasts once again at the Sarawak Cultural Village with music by renowned world and indigenous musicians. With a line-up of 18 bands playing a diverse range of world music genres, the festival features seven different acts per night over three nights. For the afternoon session, there will be programmes such as informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures and jamming sessions. http://rwmf.net.

KEDAH CUTI-CUTI HOMESTAY CARNIVAL 2013, 28-30 JUNE 2013
Looking for comfortable and reliable homestays in Malaysia? Visit the Kedah Cuti-Cuti Homestay Carnival 2013. Visitors will have the opportunity to obtain the latest homestay information and packages from all over Malaysia at this homestay travel fair. There will also be local cultural performances and stalls selling tasty delicacies and snacks from every state.

SALE! SALE! SALE! SHOPAHOLIC ALERT! 29 JUNE – 01 SEPT 2013 
One of the three major shopping seasons in the country is back with mega shopping excitement, dining options, endless entertainment and fun-filled activities. Within this two-month shopping period, shoppers get the opportunity to enjoy irresistible offers and great discounts from luxury brands to affordable items put together by malls and retail stores throughout Malaysia.

PAHANG INTERNATIONAL BIRD RACE 2013, 29-30 JUNE 2013
Think you can differentiate the birds from their chirps and tweets? Join us at the Pahang International Bird Race 2013 to sight, identify and record the most number of bird species.  Over 250 species of birds from as far as Northern Siberia and the islands north of Japan can be located in the cool highlands of Fraser’s Hill. The race aims to preserve nature and simultaneously promote the highlands of Pahang as a top class bird watching destination. www.pkbf.org.my.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:
Representation Plus
Flo Powell / Nick Smith
Email: flo@representationplus.co.uk / nicksmith@representationplus.co.uk
Tel: 020 8877 4509/04
Mob: 077 6624 2138
Visit: www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my
Support for press trips is available for selected publications, please e-mail flo@representationplus.co.uk

Notes to editors:
• All information is correct at time of publication. Visitors are advised to contact the event organiser for the latest updates.
• In 2014, Malaysia will celebrate its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The VMY 2014 promotional campaign has started this year with a series of year-long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014. It will contribute to the Government’s target to receive 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) 2020.    
• Malaysia has a tropical climate and is a very welcoming multi-cultural society home to some of the best spa resorts in the world.
• Malaysian cuisine is as diverse as the nation itself, fusing the culinary traditions and flavours of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arabian and European cooking.