Showing posts with label Tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tourism. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Lace Driven By Demand For Hotels

A NEW boutique hotel is set to open its doors for business in Jalan Tebrau here in August.
The RM14 million hotel, featuring two levels of car park, a car showroom, and five storeys of rooms, will be called the Lace Boutique Hotel.
Syarikat Lace Motor Sdn Bhd founder and managing director Datuk Paduka Rokiah Omar said this is her first venture into the hospitality industry.
She said there was a demand for hotels in the thriving southern economic corridor.


Rokiah, who set up the Lace Motor Foundation three years ago, said the hotel in Jalan Tebrau will also house the office of the foundation formed to help orphans, old folk, single mothers and the underprivileged. She said this at the launch of an autoshow, one of the highlights of the Mega Raya Sale promotion which started in May 18 and ends on July 31.
A host of programmes has been lined up in conjunction with the promotion such as a lucky draw, karaoke, and buka puasa feast.
Rokiah, who is also the group and company chairman, said there are plans to build a budget hotel at the back of the boutique hotel.
“A market survey revealed that the demand for budget hotels is even higher than boutique hotels, so plans are on the drawing board to build one in the near future.”
Rokiah said the boutique hotel, built on 0.2ha of land, was targeted to open earlier, but there were unexpected delays.
“The first contractor failed to deliver the project in time, so we changed the contractor. But before the change could take place, the first contractor had to be legally terminated.
“I learnt a lot from the building of the boutique hotel,” Rokiah said, adding that she is confident it will be ready after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.
Rokiah, who built the Lace Motors empire, said it was tough for a woman to succeed in the corporate world.
“It is hard for a man, and much harder for a woman who has to take care of her family at the same time. Although I am a workaholic, my family’s needs are always my priority,” she said.
On top of balancing family and her business, Rokiah is also known for her contribution to orphanages and old folk’s home.
“In the Islamic faith, we have to give back to the community to show our gratitude to God Almighty,” she said.
Lace Motors, incorporated in 1981, has a showroom called Wisma Lace Motor beside the Pasir Gudang Highway. Previously, it was operating in Taman Sentosa here. The showroom features car brands such as BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Fiat, Kia, among others.
It also has branches in Taman Johor Jaya and Skudai, here.
sourced from NST online

Friday, June 6, 2014

Flying High


Shella was all smiles at the Senai International Airport today. I told her to have faith, and that all will be well.

Before I left home today, I was actually quite worried about not being able to find a parking space because of the Explore Johor Fest. But I managed to find a space without much trouble. 

Everything did go well. The power of positive thinking. 


We visited the booths of the participating hoteliers and browsed through the tourism products that were on display.

According to some hoteliers, the change of rest days from Saturday and Sunday to Friday and Saturday which took effect from January this year has affected the hotel industry.

"It is not feasible for private corporations to standardize the official rest days on Fiday and Saturday because our headquarters operate from Monday to Friday," says a hotelier.

The hotelier went on to say things had been looking bright from year to year. However, come Vist Malaysia Year 2014 --- the MH370 incident and the change of rest days, among others --- created a slight dent in the hospitality industry.

I then went over to the booth of MPH Bookstore which was offering books at slashed prices. The discount was up to 70%. I bought four books.


Meanwhile, my colleague Rizalman Hammim has this story.

Khaled: Executive power of Johor Housing and Real Property Board lies with MB

SENAI: The executive power of the Johor Housing and Real Property Board will lie with the chairman of the board, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said under the enactment, which will be tabled on Monday, the Johor Menteri Besar will automatically be the chairman of the Board with the state Housing and Local Government committee chairman as his deputy.

"Under the enactment, the Sultan of Johor can appoint members of the board with the advice of the Menteri Besar, which is similar to the power that the Sultan has at the moment," said Khaled at the launch of the Explore Johor Fest 2014 here today.

He said the enactment is similar with the Johor Corporation Enactment 1968 and that it must be read together with the Johor State Constitution (Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor).

Khaled said this in response to a report on an online news portal that said the enactment will grant the Sultan of Johor the power to appoint members of the board, oversee its accounts and dissolving the board.

Read more: Khaled: Executive power of Johor Housing and Real Property Board lies with MB - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/khaled-executive-power-of-johor-housing-and-real-property-board-lies-with-mb-1.612687#ixzz33rQhYgFf

And here is an interesting read

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Explore Johor Fest 2014


Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said there would be more than 120 booths promoting tourism products and destinations of the 10 districts in Johor at the Explore Johor Fest. Pic by Roslan Khamis


Don't forget to head down to the Senai International Airport June 6 to June 8, if you are a player in the tourism industry.


Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin will launch the event and reveal the state's Master Tourism Plan for 2014 to 2023 at the airport tomorrow (June 6).

Read more: 800 prizes up for grabs at Explore Johor Fest - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/800-prizes-up-for-grabs-at-explore-johor-fest-1.611525#ixzz33itgbMNQ


Meanwhile, a very long but thought-provoking piece by Datuk Tengku Putra Haron Aminurrashid Tengku Hamid Jumat titled Protecting Johor's sovereignty


Read more: Protecting Johor's sovereignty - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/protecting-johor-s-sovereignty-1.611546#ixzz33isqIhCH

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Get To Know Johor



Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar visiting the booths with JCorp president and chief executive officer Datuk Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim (left) as Urusan Kulim Nursery Bhd director Norlukmal Mat Ghani (right) talks about his products. Pic by Mohd Azren Jamaludin

The story on the upgrading of Sungai Johor.  Yes, the assignment that led me to discover Kampung Makam (Tomb Village) that Saturday.

JOHOR Corporation (JCorp) and the state government will jointly develop Sungai Johor into a prime eco-tourism destination in the state.

Kota Tinggi District Officer Mohd Osman Noorazam said the upgrading works of Sungai Johor, which is in the initial phase of the Kota Tinggi Transformation Plan, is expected to start this year.
"We have a budget of RM2.4 million to develop Sungai Johor, as well as for beautification efforts to upgrade the city's landscape which includes lighting up the area with more street lamps.
"Among the projects under the Kota Tinggi Transformation Plan is to develop fishing activity in Sungai Johor.
"Also included in the Kota Tinggi Transformation Plan is the development of the Kulim Eco Trail Retreat, an eco-tourism destination that can accommodate up to 200 visitors in Ladang Basir Ismail," he said.


Meanwhile, this story is on the upcoming Explore Johor Fest which will be held from June 6 to June 8 at the Senai International Airport.


By Ben Tan

JOHOR BARU: The Explore Johor Fest exhibition which will held for the first time, is scheduled to have a big impact on the various destinations in the state.

The inaugural event will take place from Friday to Sunday this year at the Senai International Airport here.
The event is aimed to provide the opportunity for visitors to know and appreciate Johor's natural beauty and locations such as beaches, islands, waterfalls and national parks.
It also acts as a guide to allow potential tourists to plan their stay in Johor at these exciting destinations according to their budgets.
Johor tourism, domestic trade and consumerism committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said tourists to Johor can make smart choices based on the information and tips during the exhibition.
"At the same time, the exhibition also aims to educate potential tourists on what is on offer at tourist destinations such as lodging and food," he said recently.
Tee said the exhibition will be joined by several companies and 11 tourist clusters such as theme park operators, hotels, resorts and tourist destinations from the state.
"At the same time, visitors will also get to enjoy food and delicacies from the various districts in the state by chefs from several renowned hotels.
"In addition, there will also be cultural performances, local handicraft exhibitions, and also a lucky draw," he said.
The state government, together with the Iskandar Malaysia Public Transportation authority will provide free bus service to the public during the entire exhibition period.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the state government will also launch the Johor Tourism Master Plan by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.


The writer of the story, Ben Tan, is not in this picture as he was busy writing the above story.

We were also very busy but we took a breather with a selfie. That's me with my colleagues Halim Said,  Norbaiti Phaharoradzi and a special guest.

Have a good day everyone!