Queen launches royal garden at Floria Putrajaya
Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah launched the Royal Floria Putrjaya 2015 at Pesisiran Tasik, Precinct 4 here today. Her Majesty spent about an hour visiting various venues at the floral festival including Taman Diraja (Royal Park), Taman Kucing (Cat Park), Floral Pavilion and the latest attraction, the European Spring and Winter Gardens.
A female cat named Cocoon of the Maine Coon species brought specially from Estonia was also introduced to Her Majesty and will keep company ‘Louis Vuitton’ (LV), from the same species that was presented to Yang Dipertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah during last year’s Floria.
Also present were Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) president Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat. Themed “Tapestry of Hues” with the Lily as the signature flower, the festival which ends on June 7 showcases 100 types of lilies and 400,000 trees of various species.
Tengku Adnan in his speech said the festival this year was accorded Joyce White, World Flower Council International Award of Excellence from the World Flower Council International which also comes with a cash prize of US$500 for a selected particpant at the Floral Pavilion.
“This festival is eagerly awaited by sellers, buyers and flower enthusiasts and holds huge potential for the local flower industry as importers and exporters from both locally and overseas are looking at opportunities to expand their markerts,” he said.
He added that the festival this year also set a record with more than 50 landscape artistes and flower arrangers from 28 countries, among them South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Ecuador, Hong Kong, South Korea, Holland, France, Spain, United Kingdom and Oman taking part.
The Floria is open to the public from 7 am to 10.30 pm Monday to Thursday and 9 am to midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. -- Bernama Fantasy park, at Floria Putrajaya.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
50万朵花 布城争艳
新山市政厅展示摊位深具度假村风情，犹如迷你度假村。
布城（Putrajaya）花卉展来咯，来自28个国家和地区逾50万朵花争艳斗丽，等着公众到来欣赏！
布城花卉展是由布城管理机构举办、Floria有限公司管理并获得马来西亚旅游局的支持，在布城第4区（Presint4）的Anjung Floria举行，从明天（30日）起开放至6月7日闭幕。
布城管理机构主席丹斯里阿昔仄今日上午巡视即将开放“布城花卉展”后，指布城已准备好迎接这一场花海盛世，并呼吁大众乘坐公共交通前来赏花。
公众受促乘免费公交
阿昔仄说：“我们已备有足够的停车位，乘坐机场直透快铁（ERL）来到布城中心站（Putrajaya Sentral）的公众都可乘坐我们提供的免费巴士前来布城花卉展。”
他也说，布城花卉展已成为布城管理机构一项知名活动品牌，过去举办8年来都已吸引许多国际参与者，未来还有机会与国外著名花展看齐。
2015年度布城花卉展
日期： 5月30日至6月7日
开放时间：上午9时至晚上10时30分（星期一至星期四）星期五至星期日是至子夜12时。
票价： 国外游客或无法出示大马卡者10令吉，本地成人5令吉，小孩1令吉，进入“冬季馆”及“花季馆”需额外征收3令吉。
联络号码：03-8893 1967
网址： http://www.floriaputrajaya.com.my
~南洋商报~
翻新增辟三主题馆 布城大自然博物馆添宝藏
莱佛士花为世界上最大的花， 花期却只有短短4天。
布城大自然博物馆翻新，增设动物学、植物学及地质学藏馆。
增馆藏丰富内涵布城大自然博物馆不再是只收藏动物标本，在藏馆翻新提升后，增加主题收藏，丰富博物馆内涵。
博物馆从今日起展示新增设的三大藏馆，在国家博物院总监拿督依布拉欣与大自然博物馆主任郑秀梅见证下，今早主持推介仪式。
位于布城第15区（Precint15）的大自然博物馆，将为到访市民带来全新的浏览体验，增加动植物及地质主题展示，让公众前来参观。
博物馆的开放时间是从星期一至星期日，每天上午9时至下午5时开放，惟翻新后，入门票价不详。
~南洋商报~
Putrajaya’s hot air balloon fiesta back with more exciting activities
COME March 28, look up at the skies and you may see a monkey, cat, Smurf or a clown flying over Putrajaya as the annual Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is back.
Organised for the fifth time, the hot air balloon festival will be held from March 28 to 31 at the Millen-nium Monument in Precinct 2, Putrajaya.
It is organised by AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd, Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) and the Malaysian Sports Aviation Federation (MSAF).
This time around, there will be three female pilots and nine new pilots.
Twenty-four balloons from France, the US, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, Vietnam, the Nether-lands, New Zealand, Thailand, India and, of course, Malaysia will be participating. It is the first time that Poland, Spain and Australia are taking part.
There will be six special balloons that will take to the skies, including Buzzy and a Tune Talk balloon.
State colours : Mohammad Sobri will be piloting the “Kedah” balloon.
“We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to, once again, put Malaysia on the map of ballooning.
“Since the inception of the first Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta back in 2009, Malaysia has grown to become one of the more popular Asian destinations for the ballooning community,” said Putrajaya Inter-national Hot Air Balloon Fiesta chairman Mohammad Sobri Saad.
For four days, every morning from 7am to 9am, balloonists will participate in a ballooning competition, vying for Rudy’s Trophy — a trophy named after the late fiesta chairman and co-founder Khairuddin Abd Rani.
For the competition, one pre-determined balloon, known as the “hare” will first take off. The other participating balloons, known as “hounds”, will launch at pre-determined intervals after the “hare”.
The “hare” then lands at a suitable site and lays out a large piece of fabric, forming the letter ‘X’, marking this as the target.
The “hounds” then attempt to drop their markers as close to the ‘X’ as possible. The closest marker will garner the highest score.
In the evenings, the balloonists will again take to the skies for a balloon show at 6pm.
One of the highlights is the “night glow” event on March 30, where the balloons will light up in a synchronised manner to the sounds of music, culminating in a fireworks display.
Visitors can also look forward to a myriad of activities such as model hot air balloon demonstrations and meet-and-greet sessions with the balloonists.
Adventurous visitors can visit the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone to try zorbing, car simulators, hamster roll, paintball and more .
Helicopter joy rides will be available on March 30 and 31.
Members of the public can go for the tethered hot-air balloon rides from 7.30am to 10.30am and 7pm to 10pm daily for RM20 per person.
The ride will be hoisted 60 feet off the ground.
“The fiesta offers lots of exciting activities that will keep the young ones occupied — from colouring competitions and stage performances by cartoon characters to carnival games and rides,” said event director Izzati Khairudin.
Admission to the fiesta is free.
Visitors are encouraged to use the KLIA Transit to Putrajaya as KLIA Transit will be offering a 30% discount on ticket rates during the four days.
From the Putrajaya station, the public can take the Nadi Putra buses which will ferry them directly to fiesta grounds.
Alternatively, visitors can also choose to drive to any of Putrajaya’s ‘Park & Ride’ points and take the Nadi Putra buses.
For details, visit www.myballoonfiesta.com, follow the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta official Facebook page, @myballoonfiesta on Twitter, and @myballoonfiesta and #myballoonfiesta Instagram account.
~News courtesy of The Star~
报章宣传后人潮增加‧1令吉游布城受欢迎
在百物涨价的这个年代，1令吉【RM】仿佛不再实用，连要吃一包国民美食椰浆饭也可能不够。但若我们告诉你，你只需付出1令吉，就可以搭乘巴士两小时，并在专人解说下游览布城【Putrajaya】景点，你又会否相信这超值的优惠呢！
这项由布城机构推出的1令吉游布城，是布城机构为推广布城景点而进行的活动。 1令吉的车资只是象征性收费，但却能让国内外游客在专业导游的带领下，在两小时内领略布城建筑的美丽之处。
每班巴士增至40人
据了解，布城机构是在4年前推出每个星期六和星期日载游客逛布城的活动，但因过去都缺乏宣传，所以乏人问津，惟经去年重整和今年通过报章的宣传后，人潮从原本每班巴士15至20人增加至40人，也象征有关活动受到游客欢迎。
《大都会》记者也在周六上午搭乘有关巴士，发现巴士内的游客以本地人居多，而且多数是看了报章报导后慕名前来，至于外国游客则是在本地朋友介绍或在布城中环车站（Putrajaya Sentral）发现相关柜台后，现场报名参加。
在约两小时的行程中，游客们经过布城回教堂、首相署、布城回教堂、布城国际会议中心、农业遗产公园、植物园、首相官邸和斯里宏愿大桥等等。
4景点让游客下车拍照
不过，巴士只会在其中4个景点让游客下车拍照。分别是首相署、布城回教堂、首相官邸和斯里宏愿大桥。
每当经过这些景点时，担任导游的莫哈末沙烈都会详细解说有关建筑物的建筑物特色，让游客们进一步可以更进一步了解布城的点滴。而游客也不忘把握机会拍下照片和在这些建筑物前留下自己的倩影。
建议聘中文讲解员
参与1令吉游布城的国内外游客对此活动举手叫好，并纷纷表示会把有关活动推介给亲友们，要他们一起感受布城之美。
也有受访者认为，虽然导游的详细解说很吸引人，但由于导游全程使用英文，偶尔穿插国语，这对不谙英文和国语的外国游客造成不便。
因此，他们建议布城机构至少在巴士上增设一个中文讲解员，或仿效吉隆坡Hop On Hop Off导览巴士在每个座位上准备翻译机，让游客可以选择自己想要的语言来聆听相关的解说。
介绍给韩国的朋友
朴性熹（23岁，韩国大使馆内勤人员）
“我从韩国来马工作两个月，对马来西亚还不太熟悉，因此同事推荐我参与1令吉游布城活动，以加深对马来西亚的认识。
我觉得这个团很特别，只要花少少的钱就可以知道很多关于布城景点的故事，当然我也很感谢介绍此团给我的同事。
以后若有机会，我也会把这个团介绍给从韩国来马的朋友，让他们和我一样受惠。 ”
带家人参加推给亲友
郑德君（37岁，商人）
“我是透过报章的报导知道1令吉游布城的活动，加上孩子昨天才结束考试，于是今早就带着妻儿从柔佛北上来布城参与此团。
虽然我偶尔有到布城政府部门办公，但毕竟还是对布城不熟，而这趟行程让我和家人更深入了解布城的景点和其设计的意义。
我孩子对这次的行程好像也很满意，我本人也很喜欢，并会把这次的行程推荐给亲友，让他们一起游览布城景点，对大马行政中心认识多一点点。 ”
导游讲解仔细
游客听得入神
林启文（35岁，工程师）
“我是背包客，途径布城中环中心搭乘机场快铁时，发现了1令吉游布城这新玩意。整个行程下来，我觉得导游的讲解很好，讲得很仔细，让我们听得津津有味，也加深了对布城的认识。
不过，我觉得当局应顾虑到不是所有游客都会英文，应考虑增设其他语言讲解，让游客可以更享受这样的知性之旅。
我觉得1令吉游布城这概念是很经济又实惠的推广旅游方式，因为若我们要坐德士游览布城的费用不菲，而现在只需区区1令吉就可以游览布城，实在很值得和划算。
据我了解，新加坡机场也有为转机和时间上允许的游客提供免费市区观光团，虽然有关观光团不允许游客下车拍照，但对游客来说，这样既不会浪费时间，也可以增加对该城市的认识。 ”
很喜欢巴士游布城方式
米顺（27岁，阿尔及利亚）
“我和太太是在搭乘轻快铁时听到1令吉游布城的活动，我们在亲自体验后，很喜欢这样的方式游览布城，并将向我们的亲友介绍此团。
这是我们首次踏足马来西亚，没想到就有机会体验到这样经济又实惠的旅游配套，我们觉得导游的解说很详细，两小时的行程下来，就好象已经认识了布城一样。 ”
星洲日报／大都会‧2011.05.19
http://mykampung.sinchew.com.my/node/142056?tid=6
Convenient way to see Putrajaya
THERE is not much that you can get for RM1 now, but you can get a glimpse of Putrajaya for just that.
The ‘Best of Putrajaya Tour’, an initiative by the Putrajaya Corporation (Pjc), is aimed at giving visitors a taste of what the city has to offer.
From the bus, tourists will get to see the Prime Minister’s office and residence, Putra Mosque, Seri Bakti Bridge, Taman Warisan Pertanian, Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Botanical Gardens via the Seri Perdana Bridge and Dataran Putra.
There are three “photo stops” where tourists can take photos of Taman Putra Perdana, Seri Warisan Bridge and the Boulevard.
Recently, tour guide Mohd Zen took reporters and tourists around Putrajaya and its places of interests.
Those on the bus were busy clicking away on their cameras whenever they passed by a place of interest.
Friends Sirine Elbekri, 20, and Najette Djellal, 23, were at the Putrajaya Sentral when they saw the brochures about the tour and signed up on the spot.
Both are from France and are in Malaysia for their internship.
Photo galore: Elbekri (front) and Djellal busy capturing the wonders of Putrajaya.
“I would definitely recommend the tour to my friends,” Elbekri said while Djellal hoped there would be more photo stops especially at the Putra Mosque.
They enjoyed the tour and hoped to see the most of Malaysia during their stay.
This is the fifth time Leowania Leow has taken the tour and this time she went with her family and relatives from Penang.
“Even though I work in Putrajaya, I do not get to see the various attractions and this tour allows me to do so.
“I have taken foreign friends such as a Finnish couple on the tour to show them Putrajaya,” she said.
The tours are available on weekends at 11.30am and 3pm. The tour takes between 90 minutes and two hours.
Call ahead if you are coming in a large group as the bus can only accommodate 40 people.
For details, call 019-236 1796 or 019-347 8012.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Do more to ‘sell’ Putrajaya
ALTHOUGH Putrajaya has scenic bridges and parks which makes it a popular filming location for local and foreign movies, it needs more than that to make it a major tourist destination.
One should be able to spend at least a day there sight-seeing and doing other worthwhile activities.
For shopaholics, the only shopping mall is Alamanda Putrajaya.
Those who like nature and the outdoors can explore the Botanical Park, Putra Perdana Park, Wawasan Park, Taman Rimba Alam and Taman Wetlands.
More information needed: The new tourist information centre in Dataran Putra does not have ample supply of brochures.
Now, visitors go to Putrajaya during events such as water sports competitions and the recently held Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.
But if Putrajaya were to be a tourist destination, there should be visitors on other days as well.
From the Putrajaya Corporation website, one could see there are quite a few events every month such as an agro bazaar and workshops but the point is are these enough to draw the crowd?
The tourist information centre has relocated from the parking lot in front of the Prime Minister’s Department to Dataran Putra in Precinct 1.
This relocation is apt as it is now situated near the Putra Mosque where tourists throng.
However, only a few brochures in English and Chinese are available at the new information centre at Dataran Putra.
When asked for other brochures, I was told it was taken by the many tourists who visited the centre. This should not be an excuse as there should be enough to cater to visitors.
There should also be brochures in other languages such as Arabic, Japanese and Korean.
It pales in comparison to information centres in Japan and South Korea where plenty of brochures are available with information on must-see places and the recommended routes to take.
There should also be public transport with punctual schedules for people to get from one tourist attraction to another.
While there are signboards directing motorists, some could lead you on a longer route.
My colleague who wanted to go to one of the government complexes in Precinct 1 found it confusing and ended up driving around the place a few times.
Many are not familiar with the Federal Government Administra-tive Centre.
The moment I mention I work in Putrajaya, my peers would exclaim, “Wow, that is far away!”
That is the perception of many about Putrajaya. It seems far away from the city centre and a hassle to travel there.
It takes 20 to 30 minutes from Kuala Lumpur city centre via the Maju Expressway (MEX), 15 to 20 minutes from Kajang via the Silk Kajang Expressway (SKVE) and 20 to 30 minutes from Subang Jaya via the Damansara-Puchong Highway to Putrajaya.
Given it is less congested than the KL city centre, it takes less time for me to get there than to travel around KL during peak hours.
But its distance from KL is not the main reason some are reluctant to make their way there. I know some Klang Valley residents who would drive all the way to Port Dickson or Genting Highlands for a domestic getaway or just for a day tour.
Existing places of interests should be promoted and new activities should be developed to draw visitors and mark Putrajaya as a must-see place when visiting Malaysia.
Being a planned city gives it an edge and coupled with natural landscapes and green areas, Putrajaya does have a potential in becoming a tourist destination.
The question lies in whether there is enough effort put in to make it a tourist destination in the long run and not a flash in the pan.
-News courtesy of The Star-
