大马上半年旅游收入410亿令吉·增长6.8%
旅游、艺术及文化部长拿督莫哈末丁可达比宣布，马来西亚今年首6个月的国际游客人数达1335万4575人次，较去年同期增长了4.9%；而旅游收入为410亿令吉，与去年同期的390亿令吉相比增长了6.8%。
莫哈末丁可达比今日在2019年上半年旅游业对国家经济贡献的新闻发布会上表示，我国今年上半年的旅游业绩呈现正面增长，也希望这趋势能持续发展至2020大马旅游年。
另外，被询及内阁改组的传闻，他表示，“这只是2至3名部长职务的变动。我也不知道是谁。其实这不是改组，只是部长间的小变动。”
至于民政党主席拿督刘华才点名旅游部长是表现不达标的部长，莫哈末丁可达比表示，“我不介意他们说想要替换我，他们要怎么说就怎么说，最终还是以首相的言论为主。”
被问到是否已对任何可能性做好准备，他直言，“我们不受影响（tak takluk)，不被任何可能性影响。部长不能说部门是属于他的吧？”
他也说，他不会为自己的表现评分，而是交由人民来评分，并指该部的成长都是政府官员和公务员共同合作的成果。
文章来源 ： 星洲日报 2019-08-23
KLIA systems still down, passengers advised to arrive four hours before flight
Passengers departing from the KL International Airport (KLIA) are advised to reach the airport four hours before their flight departure time as systems disruption has yet to be resolved.
According to Malaysia Airports, the team is still in the midst of stabilising the system as of 6am Friday (Aug 23).
It urged passengers to arrive at the airport early and check-in via their respective airlines' mobile app or website.
In a statement, Malaysia Airports said they have utilised all 38 remote bays at KLIA Main Terminal to cater to aircraft that are not able to proceed to the scheduled gates as they are still being occupied.
"Following this, we have also provided four additional buses, as well as ground handling services for the airlines in order to facilitate passenger movements to ferry passengers to the remote bays from the terminal and vice versa," it said.
It added that it has extended operating hours at all its other airports nationwide to cater to delayed flights from Kuala Lumpur, and have provided free parking for all passengers at KLIA Main Terminal.
In an unforeseen first-ever disruption of its airport management system, the operations of KLIA came to a halt for hours, with scores of flights delayed and passengers left stranded and frustrated.
The interruption, which hit on Wednesday (Aug 21) night, continued the following day.
As at 10.30am Thursday (Aug 22), there were 20 flights delayed at KLIA main terminal.
The flights were scheduled to take off for destinations in Japan, Australia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Britain and Dubai as well as domestically, Penang, and Kuching and Sibu in Sarawak.
~The Star~
KLIA系统故障航班大延误· 大马机场公司：抢修后逐步复常
根据马新社观察，KLIA的情况受到控制。
吉隆坡国际机场两个终站的系统周三晚上出现短暂故障，数十班机受影响延飞，大马机场公司在周四中午宣布KLIA2的班机资讯荧幕系统（FIDS）及其他系统恢复正常。
根据大马机场公司在文告中指出指出，从周三晚上开始出现干扰的吉隆坡国际机场两个终站的系统运作。受影响的机场系统包括无限网络连接系统、班机资讯荧幕系统（FIDS）、办理登机手续柜台和行李处理系统（BHS）。
此外，吉隆坡第二国际机场(KLIA2）的班机资讯荧幕系统无法运作。
大马机场公司提醒乘客在起飞时间的前4个小时抵达机场，以及向航空公司检查最新的飞行时间表。
尽管如此，一些不在名单内的航班也受波无法准时起飞。一名搭客表示，他飞往新加坡的班机并不在这20班延误飞机的名单上，他乘搭的航班原订下午3时起飞，但是直到下午4时40分才上机。
班机资讯荧幕系统复常
机场管理公司周四中午发出第二份文告指出，指KLIA2的班机资讯荧幕系统（FIDS）及其他系统已经恢复正常。
文告指出，机场管理公司的技术人员正在进行抢修，让主要的乘客服务系统保持稳定。
“我们已经向相关单位汇报最新进展和纾缓计划，包括民航局、各家航空公司代表、航空业者委员会主席。”
文告指出，该公司也派出500名员工协助乘客。
详情可以向机场的亲善大使查询，或拨电03-8776 2000。
另一方面，马航在推特发文指出，由于机场网络问题影响所有航空公司的系统运作，马航以人工处理报到和登机的手续。
“马航以人工方式处理报到和登机手续，因此比平常可能需要更长的时间，任何不便，我们深感抱歉。”
马航促请所有从KLIA登机的乘客通过手机或网络处理登机手续。
游客可以向KLIA安排的亲善大使查询。
KLIA咨询处现人潮
根据马新社观察，KLIA上午的情况尚好，中午开始繁忙，越来越多乘客抵达机场，聚集在咨询处查询详情。
客户服务经理罗斯玛娃蒂指出，从凌晨3时开始，该公司加派亲善大使在现场回答乘客的提问。
“一般上乘客会询问哪里可以登机，班机起飞时间及登机门的地点等。”
她说，目前没有游客生气的情况，他们很体谅机场所面对的问题。
“办理登机手续需要比较长的时间，大约10分钟，今天可能需要更长时间，因为需要人工处理。”
信用卡交易也受影响
另一方面，下午2时左右，在KLIA餐馆和零售商店的信用卡交易也受到影响，KLIA2则没有受影响。
大约一个小时半之后，该公司才在推特宣布，信用卡交易已经恢复正常。
作者 ： 石珮嘉
文章来源 ： 星洲日报 2019-08-22
KLIA systems disruption: 20 flights delayed
PETALING JAYA: As at 10.30am Thursday (Aug 22), 20 flights departing KL International Airport (KLIA) have been delayed, says Malaysian Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB).
MAHB said its technical team is in the midst of stabilising critical passenger-facing systems at the airport.
It added that it had briefed relevant stakeholders such as the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia (CAAM), representatives of airlines operating in KLIA, and the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) chairman on the latest updates and mitigation plans.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this disruption.
"Please be assured that we are sparing no effort to provide assistance to passengers and airlines, ” MAHB said in a statement Thursday, adding that 500 staff had been deployed to assist passengers on the ground.
It also said that all critical passenger-facing systems at KLIA including the Flight Information Display System (FIDS) are fully functional.
MAHB had earlier said that several airport systems were affected by the disruption, including WiFi connections, the FIDS, and the Check-In-Counters and Baggage Handling Systems (BHS).
It said that passengers could get more information from MAHB's social media feeds and advised them to reach the airport at least four hours before their flight departure time.
MAHB also encouraged passengers to check-in via the respective airlines’ mobile apps or websites.
It also urged passengers to reach out to their Airport CARE Ambassadors or contact 03-8776 2000 for further information on flight details.
~The Star~
Tourism Malaysia ties up with Expedia
PUTRAJAYA: Tourism Malaysia has inked a deal with American travel company Expedia Group which will see both sides collaborate to boost tourism promotion to Malaysia.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said the partnership with Expedia will help support Malaysia’s target of achieving 30 million tourist arrivals and RM100bil tourist spending by 2020.
“Malaysia has just launched its fifth instalment of the Visit Malaysia series, Visit Malaysia 2020, and this is a timely strategic partnership which will benefit all parties.
“Expedia Group, as many of you would know, has over 200 travel booking websites in more than 70 countries around the world and work with thousands of lodging and flight partners to cater to the differing needs of modern travellers today.
“This partnership will collectively promote travel to Malaysia hence helping us grow our tourism arrival and income, empower our hospitality industry to be equipped with the right tools and services to help them grow their business locally, and be seen as a beacon in the sustainable tourism space, ” said Mohamaddin in his speech at the signing ceremony of the new collaboration, held at his ministry yesterday.
Mohamaddin said one of the agreements between Tourism Malaysia and Expedia Group will be focused on several global campaigns to promote inbound travel from the United States, Australia and Japan to Malaysia.
The three countries are among the biggest points of sale for Expedia Group.
“This partnership will see a joint execution of destination marketing campaigns to spotlight Malaysia’s hidden and unique tourist attractions as well as promote the variety of accommodation to Expedia Group’s 750 million plus monthly visitors globally, ” said Mohamaddin.
The collaboration will also see Expedia Group and Tourism Malaysia exchanging traveller insights, to help better understand tourist behaviours and home tourism strategies in line with the implementation of Visit Malaysia.
Expedia Group senior vice-president of commercial strategy and services Greg Schulze said the company found Malaysia to be a “progressively thinking destination” and was committed to help expose the country to travellers around the world.
“Tourism is an important contributor to Malaysia’s economy, accounting for almost 14.9% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and 3.4 million jobs.
“As a world travel platform, Expedia Group is proud to be an online travel tourism partner to Tourism Malaysia, connecting Malaysia’s tourism industry to millions of travellers in our worldwide network, ” he said.
Among the travel websites under Expedia Group include Expedia.com, Trivago and Hotels.com.
~The Star~
Airasia launches new route Kuala Lumpur-Belitung
AirAsia has launched a new route connecting Kuala Lumpur to Belitung in Sumatra, Indonesia with four times weekly direct service commencing from Oct 2, 2019.
To celebrate this new route, AirAsia is offering special all-in members fare from as low as RM79 (all-in-fares are for AirAsia BIG member only) from Kuala Lumpur.
It could be booked on airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app from today until Aug 25, 2019, for travel between Oct 2, 2019, and March 28, 2020, the airline said in a statement today.
“BIG members will enjoy zero processing fees when making payment using BigPay,” it said.
AirAsia regional commercial head Amanda Woo said the new route is also a testament to the airline's commitment to support the Indonesian government in its efforts to develop 10 new priority tourism destinations.
“Indonesia has more to offer than just Bali and Lombok. Belitung is a beautiful, amazing place with huge untapped tourism potential, and we hope that with this new direct service, more and more people will be able to discover this hidden gem,” she said.
In addition to the new route, AirAsia also operates daily flights to Belitung from the Indonesian capital Jakarta beginning Oct 1, 2019.
AirAsia currently connects Kuala Lumpur to 14 other Indonesian destinations - Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Bali, Lombok, Yogyakarta, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Padang, Palembang, Semarang, Makassar, Bandung and Banda Aceh.
-- BERNAMA
Air quality worsens slightly in the country
The air quality in Peninsular Malaysia has worsened slightly with Rompin in Pahang Air Pollutant Index (API) readings jumping from “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” zone.
According to Department of Environment (DOE) data, the API recorded in Rompin was at 223 as at 4pm, yesterday.
On Saturday, Rompin’s API was “unhealthy” at 125.
Conditions in Kuala Lumpur remained at moderate levels during the weekend, with the API at between 65 and 67.
In Selangor, Johan Setia saw a slight increase in the API readings.
The reading recorded was at 95 compared to 92 on Saturday.
Other areas in Selangor such as in Banting (82), Petaling Jaya (81), and Shah Alam (83) maintained its “moderate” readings.
The API readings in Kedah and Perlis also worsened from “good” to “moderate”, while Sabah maintained its “good” API readings.
Other places nationwide such as in Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Penang, Kelantan and Terengganu recorded “moderate” API levels.
Meanwhile, in Sarawak, Sri Aman posted an API reading of 252 and generally the haze situation here and in Miri is still bad.
The API reading worsened compared to Saturday which was at 247.
The air quality in SK Kuala Baram 2 station and the Miri Industrial Training Institute station both improved.
SK Kuala Baram 2 station recorded an API reading of 80 from 119, while the Miri Industrial Training Institute station recorded a reading of 161 from 222.
As of yesterday morning, the DOE recorded one “hot spot” (forest fire) in Sarawak
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good, while 51 to 100 is moderate, 01 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and above is deemed hazardous.
The public can also refer to the Department of Environment (DoE) website at or by downloading the MyIPU smartphone app on ‘Google Play’ to get hourly API readings
According to the Asean Specialised Meterological Centre (ASMC) weather and haze outlook posted on Saturday at 6.25pm, it noted that hotspot activities in Sumatra and Kalimantan are likely to persist in the country.
ASMC’s satellite monitoring system has also indicated in recent times that open burning is also coming from that direction.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Sightseers unfazed by moderate haze
Poor visibility: Tourists taking in a bird’s eye view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline from KL Tower.
KUALA LUMPUR: While some people go out of their way to avoid the haze, there are others who embrace everything in their stride, such as sightseers.
Lidia Arimazni, 16, of Ampang said her parents were hesitant about letting her out of the house because of the haze.
“Usually, during school breaks, I’d want to go sightseeing with my friends and spend time with them.
“But during the Hari Raya Haji celebration, I could only go to a friend’s house, ” said Lidia at Kuala Lumpur City Centre yesterday.
She was finally allowed to visit KLCC with her friends during the school break.
Tourists from foreign countries are also unperturbed with the city’s air.
This could be due to Kuala Lumpur’s Air Pollution Index (API), which ranged from 70-75 yesterday, putting it under the “moderate” range.
Lars, 31, from Norway, agreed that the polluted air had affected the city view, and agreed that this is not an issue he faces in his country.
He added that the haze had not affected any of his plans here.
Bram, 30, from the Netherlands, takes a similar view, saying while the view could have been better, none of his plans had been hindered.He attributes the hazy air to “scooters” and “(older) cars”.
~The Star~
Hot and dry weather in M'sia until October, says the weatherman
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Malaysia is expected to experience hot and dry weather with less rainfall until October, says Deputy Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis.
She said apart from Malaysia, neighbouring countries Singapore and Sumatra in Indonesia are expected to experience the same weather pattern.
"We expect to experience a shortage of rainfall with warmer and drier weather this year without the El Nino and La Nina phenomena until October, " she said when asked about the essence of the 21st Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting and the Ministerial Steering Committee Sub-Region on Cross-border Haze Pollution in Brunei.
She said this when contacted on the Bernama News Channel (BNC) talk showroom programme here Wednesday (Aug 7) night.
Commenting on the meeting, Isnaraissah said the five countries involved had presented measures taken to address fires and haze in their respective countries.
"Among the information shared was to carry out continuous monitoring of weather and hotspots, enforce the law and have the equipment prepared, mobilise human resources and co-ordinate fire-fighting, " she said.
The annual meeting involving four other Asean countries, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, was held to monitor and detail the steps taken in addressing cross-border haze.
The initiative to address the Asean haze problem began following a serious episode of pollution in 1997 that led to the Asean Convention on cross-border haze signed by 10 countries in Kuala Lumpur on June 10, 2002. - Bernama
隆雪多区依旧灰蒙蒙一片 巴生佐汉瑟迪亚持续恶化
隆雪多个地区今日的天空依旧灰蒙蒙一片，特别是位于巴生的佐汉瑟迪亚（Johan Setia）空污情况占全国之最，而且情况持续恶化！
根据大马空气污染管理系统显示，全国68有效站点中，67个站点的空气指数维持在正常水平。
其中，布城、蕉赖、灵市和巴生等地，因近日少雨，空气指数游走在在80至84之间，部分地方或会出现烟霾情况。而佐汉瑟迪亚截至今日中午12时正的空气指数达119点，比昨日的102点7更高，当地的空气变得更加浑浊。
另外，截至今日中午12时正，全国落在沙巴金马利（Kimanis），空气指数仅51点，近乎接近最佳空气水平。
无论如何，受烟霾影响的民众需留意呼吸系统和身体的变化，若感不适需及时求医。
~东方日报~
Haze situation under control despite dry spell
The haze situation appears to be under control despite the dry spell as the Air Pollutant Index (API) has not reached unhealthy levels in any parts of Malaysia.
In fact, good air quality was recorded in Kota Tinggi, Johor (API reading 50), Tawau, Sabah (46) and Limbang, Sarawak (47) at 6pm yesterday.
Air quality in other parts of Malaysia was at a moderate level.
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good while 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and above deemed hazardous.
National Weather and Geophysics Operations Centre director Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the air quality would return to normal soon as Indonesia had succeeded in its aggressive initiative to douse the raging forest fires.
He also noted that the two low-pressure cyclones in the West Pacific and the northern part of South China Sea would further suck the atmospheric moisture.
Several west coast states in the peninsula and Sarawak are also facing the haze following forest fires at six districts in Indonesia over the last four days.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) warned that more hotspots could be expected in the first two weeks of August, particularly in the fire-prone provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, following warmer and drier than average conditions forecast over the southern Asean region.
In the northern Asean region, hotspot activities are expected to remain subdued due to prevailing rainy conditions, according to ASMC.
~News courtesy of The Star~
