GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia has set its sights on middle-class tourists from Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, China and India to boost its medical tourism industry. At present, Indonesian tourists contribute to the bulk of the business in medical tourism, with Penang and Malacca the popular destinations for treatment. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said he was optimistic that middle-class tourists from other parts of the world would seek medical treatment here as Malaysia promised first-class medical services at affordable prices. He said the government had recently set up the National Health Tourism Council, co-chaired by him and Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, to see how best Malaysia could capture the medical tourism market.   "Of late, there had been more and more middle-class people emerging in such countries who are willing to pay a little more for the best medical treatment and this is where we can come in. This is our market," he said after officiating at the topping-up ceremony of the Gleneagles Medical Centre here. Present were Parkway Pantai Limited chairman Datuk Mohammed Azlan Hashim, Pantai Holdings Bhd chairman Khairil Anuar Abdullah, Gleneagles Medical Centre chairman Datuk Seri Dr Goh Eng Toon and Gleneagles Medical Centre chief executive officer Ronald Koh. The new RM180 million 19-storey building is linked to the existing centre. Upon completion by the third quarter of next year, it will become an iconic premier hospital of 400 beds with modern wards complete with innovative facilities to enhance patient comfort. The new facility will have 10 operating theatres, 35 intensive care, coronary care and high dependency units, and an additional cardiac catheterisation laboratory. Earlier in his speech, Nor Yakcop said the new facility would create more than 700 jobs, ranging from doctors and nurses to allied health support staff. He said Gleneagles Medical Centre was also targeting RM100 million in foreign revenue for the next five years. Read more: Malaysia eyes world’s middle class for medical tourism http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/13jus/Article/#ixzz1b0ypmhUQ Source: New Strait Times, 2011/10/17

Kuala Lumpur, 2 Sept, 2011 - Google today announced a team up with Tourism Malaysia to poll Malaysians on which national tourist treasures and uniquely Malaysian sites should be featured in Google Street View - the Google Maps feature that allows users to view and navigate 360-degree street-level imagery. Malaysians can vote and suggest their favorite locations at the website maps . google . com . my / svtrike , which will remain open for the rest of the month. Malaysians will be able to choose places in five categories: Historical, Tourism, Cultural, Urban + Architecture, and Nature. The poll also includes a write-in suggestion box for any places not listed under the categories (go on, surprise us!). The public can submit their ideas until 11:59pm on Sept 30, 2011. Google will finally tally the votes and identify interesting ideas from the write-in suggestions before publicly announcing the ‘winners.’ The winning sites will be prioritised as the Street View trike makes its way across the country. Throughout the entire process, Google is committed to working closely with the relevant organisations to collect images of privately-owned locations that have been included in the poll. The imagery of the Malaysian sites will then be captured through the Google Trike - a specially-designed bike mounted with a camera that can capture and collect street-level imagery in places less accessible by car. The trike has already collected images from hundreds of places around the world, many of which can be visited in Street View today, such as Stonehenge in UK, Pompei in Italy, Legoland in California, Versailles in France and the Esplanade in Singapore. See images of the trike in action here . Images collected by the trike will be processed and carefully stitched together, a process that can take several months. As with all Street View imagery done worldwide, Google will blur faces and license plates to protect people’s privacy. "We are happy to work with Google to showcase Malaysia to millions of people all over the world through Google Maps. The trike will help us feature even more of Malaysia’s culture, heritage, charm, attractions and landmarks that make us such a unique and compelling destination," said Dato’ Azizan Noordin, Acting Director General, Tourism Malaysia . "We look forward to receiving great ideas from the public on what areas the trike should cover. By featuring Malaysians’ suggestions of their favourite parts of our country, viewers from around the world will be able to discover the best of Malaysia through local eyes." "We’re working hard to get Street View up and running for Malaysia, and the trike is an excellent way to start adding amazing imagery to showcase Malaysia’s history and culture," said Sajith Sivanandan , Head of Google Malaysia. "We want the public’s votes to help us determine where we should go, so we encourage everyone to head over to the voting site to select and suggest their favorite spots." About Tourism Malaysia Formerly known as Tourist Development Corporation of Malaysia (TDC), Tourism Malaysia was established on 10 August 1972 as an agency under the former Ministry of Trade and Industry. With the inception of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism on 20 May 1987, TDC was moved to this new ministry; and became the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB). Tourism Malaysia has gained recognition as a global brand for its full focus on promoting Malaysia domestically and internationally. It has more than forty overseas offices around the world. Beginning October 2011, Tourism Malaysia Headquarters will operate from its new premises in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s government administration capital. For more information, visit : www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my. Source : Tourism Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: In a bid to boost health tourism numbers, private hospitals involved in the healthcare tourism industry will get tax breaks and efforts will be stepped up to promote Malaysia as a health tourism destination. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that the hospitals would be given a 100% tax exemption for the construction of new hospitals and for the expansion, modernisation and refurbishment of existing ones, said He said Friday that the Government was finalising the provision for tax exemption equivalent to 100% of qualifying capital expenditure. “We are in the midst of getting the provision gazetted and hospitals registered with the ministry for the promotion of healthcare travel are eligible for this incentive,” he told reporters at a press conference after opening HSC Medical Centre here Friday. He said the Government had also made provisions for expenses incurred by private hospitals to obtain domestic or internationally recognised accreditation to be eligible for double deduction incentive under the Income Tax Act 1967. He said 400,000 health tourists visited the country last year and the industry was expected to attract 440,000 this year. “Last year, the industry generated RM380mil of revenue and the amount is expected to increase by at least 10% to RM430mil,” he said. He said the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) under the ministry would work with television stations in Hong Kong and China to promote Malaysia as a health tourism destination. MHTC chief executive officer Dr Mary Wong Lai Lin said the council was also promoting aggressively the industry in Middle East, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Europe. “Many foreigners do not know that Malaysia is a healthcare tourism destination due to the lack of promotion of the industry abroad. “However, our prices are very competitive and we offer high quality care and value-for-money services,” she said, adding that the biggest number of health tourists came from Indonesia, Britain and China. By NG CHENG YEE Source : The Star, 06/05/2011

Race enthusiasts travelling to Kuala Lumpur in April will not only get to watch the world’s hottest race on the state-of-the-art Sepang international circuit but will experience the city’s biggest event – the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix City 2011. Built in 1999, the course at Sepang is attracting attention from race-goers as being a fantastic circuit with world-class facilities. Combine this excellent course with the eighth edition of the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix City event and the excitement looks set to reach fever-pitch! The Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix City will be greater than ever this year, showcasing the lifestyle and culture of Malaysia through thrilling concerts, race-themed events, F1 racing exhibitions, street racing shows, exclusive parties, fashion extravaganzas, as well as great dining and shopping experiences leading up to the race day on the 10th of April. Malaysian Grand Prix Sale The Malaysian Grand Prix sale has already begun and will continue until the 15th of April. Visitors can enjoy savings of up to 70% discount on almost everything Kuala Lumpur has to offer. Take a trip to the latest mall at Bukit Bintang – “Fahrenheit 88”, a new leading retail destination for fashion, food and lifestyle. At Fahrenheit 88 shoppers can view the F1 cars of the Merdeces GP Petronas team and take photos at the winner podium to experience the adrenaline! Red Bull Speed Street Kuala Lumpur Enthusiasts will feel the heat of the race even before the big day at the Red Bull Speed Street event, taking place on the 3rd of April. A Red Bull team driver will drive a F1 car up the iconic shopping strip of Jalan Bukit Bintang to give a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the energy of F1 in the heart of the city. Visit the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur to catch the special appearance by Team Lotus drivers, Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli and the F1 cars of the team, which are on display from the 4th to the 10th of April. “Twin Towers @live 2011” Kuala Lumpur is proud to announce its first international mega concert which will be held at the iconic Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur. It will be open to the public for 2 nights on the 8th and the 9th April and is absolutely free! A special seating area will be made available for F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix grandstand ticket holders. International headliners include Grammy-nominated band The Fray, and Hoobastank, an American rock band. Also performing in Kuala Lumpur on the 10th April at Putra World Trade Centre is Bruno Mars, the recent winner of the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Performance. STYLO Fashion Grand Prix Exciting fashion events will run from the 2nd to the 10th of April and will feature fashion shows, awards, a fashion ball and Grand Prix themed parties, all held at historical buildings. More fashion shows will be staged at the Pavilion Pitstop including the Spring Summer MaxMara Red Carpet Fashion Showcase on 3rd April. A display of Stuart Weitzman’s Swarovski boots will be on display from the 1st to the 30th of April at the Pavilion KL in celebration of the International Show Festival. The first created pair of Stuart Weitzman’s boots was worn by mega-star Rihanna at the 2010 Academy Awards. Experience the F1 Grand Prix in Malaysia Visit Kuala Lumpur’s hottest season and you can look forward to a world class sporting event that offers spectacular Formula One race action and a great festival atmosphere at the eighth edition of Kuala Lumpur’s Grand Prix City 2011. Peoplestravel are offering a fantastic package deal to Malaysia for the Grand Prix, flying via Malaysia Airlines, from just £1144 per person. Price includes return flights to Kuala Lumpur and round-trip airport transfers, 5-nights at the Equatorial Hotel in a superior room with breakfasts included and three day tickets to the Grand Prix; practice, qualifying and race day. For more information and bookings, visit: peoples.travel Source : www.easier.com/86662-thrills-f1-grand-prix-malaysia.html

KUALA LUMPUR: The latest report by Euromonitor International has placed Kuala Lumpur ahead of Paris, Hong Kong and New York in terms of international tourist arrivals. According to the Top City Destinations Ranking 2009, the Federal capital is ranked fourth out of 100 cities in the world. New York City, Dubai, Paris and Hong Kong have been placed in the sixth, seventh, eight and tenth spot, respectively.   The report showed that despite the unprecedented drop in international tourists arrivals worldwide which fell by 3.5 per cent, Kuala Lumpur recorded a growth of 5.2 per cent, which saw 9,400,000 tourists entering the country in 2009.  Read more: Tourists give city the thumbs up http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2trrou/Article#ixzz1ExBQVcO0

They may be well-known for their haute cuisine but the French, SUZANNA PILLAY finds out, are also very conscious about their health.Master chefs Nicolas Le Toumelin and Florent Passard, from the seven-star Muse Hotel in Saint Tropez, have the answers. Both are in town to introduce diners to French haute cuisine at the Feast Village in Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Le Toumelin, who is also executive chef of the Muse Hotel, says that diners in Saint Tropez are conscious about maintaining their slim figures, but they expect quality ingredients and good food that is not too rich.     Source: newstraitstimes