Malaysia widens options - Oct 00

Images of the high-rise hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur are all too familiar. Less well known is the fact that two hours away from the Malaysian capital is a choice of resorts to suit every conference and incentive (C&I) brief. Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Borneo and the islands of Penang and Langkawi on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia are the three biggest resorts targeting the C&I market but they are not the only choices. The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) is keen to promote Sarawak, which is also on the island of Borneo. The MTPB believes Sarawak can rival Sabah in terms of incentive appeal, with trips to massive caves in Mulu National Park and to the headhunter longhouses in the jungle among available options. Pangkor Island and Pangkor Laut Resort on neighbouring Pangkor Laut Island are keen for a slice of the meetings and incentive market. Each of Malaysia's resorts is different in what it offers the C&I market, but they all include top-quality hotels backed by first-class facilities. Also, temperatures everywhere in Malaysia hover between 20ºC and 30ºC year-round. It is a good idea to miss the wet seasons which are September to December on the west coast and October to February on the east coast and in Borneo. Malaysia is also good value for money, which is one of the main platforms the MTPB is using. The other is service, which everyone who visits Malaysia comments on. "I don't even think about service as I know everyone will come back satisfied," says MTPB UK and Ireland director Mr Yazid Mohamed. "We are also excellent value for money. A five-star hotel in Malaysia would cost the same as one night in a hostel in London." The MTPB takes part in exhibitions and trade shows worldwide to promote the destination to the C&I market. It organises sales calls to incentive houses, but generally its advertising thrust is at the consumer. "Unfortunately, we do not have a bottomless kitty," says Mr Mohamed. "But incentive organisers are also consumers so we hope to get through to them this way." The signs are good. Destination management companies (DMCs) are seeing an upswing in business not only from Europe, which is traditionally a strong market for Malaysia, but also from Asia Pacific. The resort groups choice depends very much on what they are looking to get out of the trip. Conference organisers bringing groups a long way are usually advised to hold meetings in Kuala Lumpur as it has a bigger choice of facilities, adding time for relaxation at one of the resorts. Kota Kinabalu is ideal for those in search of activities, Penang for culture and soft adventure and Langkawi is tranquil and peppered with sightseeing opportunities. The main problem is access, with few direct flights from within or outside the region. For Kota Kinabalu, for instance, groups have to go through Kuala Lumpur, using Malaysia Airlines; Singapore with Singapore Airlines; Hong Kong, flying with Cathay Pacific; or Brunei, using Royal Brunei Airlines. Both Penang and Langkawi have direct flights from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Malaysia Airlines also has flights from Penang to Langkawi. Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu deserves to be at the top of the list for any trip designed to reward or motivate staff as there are so many fun and challenging activities. These include scuba diving and snorkelling at one of the five tropical islands that make up Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, about 20 minutes by speedboat from the city. The islands are also a favourite venue for team-building exercises such as DMC Borneo Adventure's raft-building challenge. Groups can also go trekking on Mount Kinabalu, which rises 4,101m into the clouds. Climbing to the summit takes two days and can be organised by DMCs, but is only recommended for the very fit. For most incentive groups, exploring the foothills using a canopy walk across the top of the jungle to protect the ecosystem and visiting the Poring Hot Springs, which is claimed to have healing properties, is enough. There are also two levels of white-water rafting. The white-water at Padas is level five - not for amateurs - and can be combined with a leisurely colonial-style train journey to and from the city (see sample itinerary), while the rafting at Kiulu is an easier level two for beginners. The favourite trip, according to Borneo Adventure, is Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary, near Sandakan, one hour by air from Kota Kinabalu. Orang-utan that have been orphaned or rescued from captivity are cared for here and you can wander freely in the centre. But if Sepilok is the highlight, the House of Skulls, offered by Destination East DMC, must take top marks for the unusual. There are 42 skulls on display, some said to be more than 300 years old, that were taken by a fearsome headhunter - nicknamed Hercules of Sabah. Naturally, the visit includes a headhunter's theme dinner. Kota Kinabalu has a wide choice of accommodation for the C&I market, including Shangri-La's 500-room Tanjung Aru Resort. The property, ten minutes from the airport, has various meeting rooms, including a grand ballroom that holds up to 1,000 theatre-style. The group also has a second property, the 330-room Rasa Ria Resort, 40 minutes from the airport. It has meeting rooms to hold 30-120 people and a ballroom that holds 800 theatre-style. It also has an outdoor team-building course, with abseiling and climbing obstacles, a wildlife reserve, beach and access to the Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club. Both Shangri-La resorts have dedicated meetings and incentive staff. For the evenings, they can arrange themed parties such as Lanun (pirates) Revenge at Tanjung Aru; Jungle Night or the Carnival of Clowns at Rasa Ria. An important development for Kota Kinabalu is the Sutera Harbour complex, which combines two five-star hotels, each with convention and exhibition space, and a golf and country club. The 500-room Pan Pacific Sutera is a business hotel aimed mainly at the conference market and offers a choice of meeting rooms for 30-500 people, as well as a grand ballroom with capacity for 1,200 theatre-style. The neighbouring Magellan Hotel, opened in August 1999, has more of a resort feel to attract incentive groups but nevertheless it offers a large selection of meeting space, culminating in the ballroom, which holds 2,500 theatre-style. Sutera Harbour is to show off its facilities later this year to a group of conference and incentive buyers on a trip that is planned to take in all the top activities in the area. Other hotels in Kota Kinabalu, targeting the conference and incentive market, include the 485-room Nexus Golf Resort and the 288-room Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, which has meetings facilities for up to 500 theatre-style. Penang With its blend of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures, Penang is more about sightseeing and culture than activity, with visits to the Hot Wok Restaurant, tastes of northern Indian cuisine and seafood barbecues an important part of every itinerary. Penang programmes include an outdoor tai chi morning workout, with breakfast laid on by the hotel, and a city tour of Georgetown, with visits to Fort Cornwallis, the Thai Buddhist temple of Wat Cahya Mangkalaram which houses a 32m-long reclining Buddha - and the chance to ride in a trishaw. There is also a round-island tour with stops at a batik factory, a visit to Snake Temple, where uncaged vipers adorn the altar, and a rubber plantation and spice garden. On a separate trip, groups are taken by railway up the 830m Penang Hill, playing the Bukit Kambul Golf Course or snorkelling, diving at Payar Marine Park, or a catamaran trip away from the island, are popular ways to spend an afternoon. Shangri-La has a strong presence in Penang, where it has three properties. The 514-room five-star Rasa Sayang Resort has meeting rooms for 15-750 theatre-style in the Pelangi Ballroom, while the 395-room four-star Golden Sands Resort has five conference rooms plus the Bunga Raya Ballroom, which can hold 300 theatre-style. Between the two is an archery range and trapeze which groups can use says group sales manager UK Ms Caroline Coyle. The hotels can organise dragon-boat races on the beach and themed parties such as a jungle night, where the ballroom is decked out with greenery and filled with sounds of hissing snakes and snoozing wild boar. "We are seeing a lot of interest from groups that want to hold meetings in the more informal surroundings of a resort hotel," says Ms Coyle. "It suits the profile of companies with a younger employee base and those that want to encourage team-building." The group also has the more business-oriented 445-room five-star Shangri-La Hotel, which has capacity for 1,100 people theatre-style when the Pinang Ballroom is combined with the foyer and Tioman Room. The hotel has facilities for smaller groups, from 40 delegates upward. Other properties in Penang targeting the C&I market include the 413-room Hotel Equatorial, which has capacity for 1,500 people theatre-style in its grand ballroom, the Mutiara Beach Resort, which holds 600 theatre-style in the Mutiara Ballroom, and the Bayview Beach Resort, whose grand ballroom holds 450 delegates theatre-style. Langkawi Langkawi is the biggest of a group of 104 islands and lists snorkelling, scuba diving and swimming at Pulau Payar Marine Park, a 50-minute catamaran ride away, among its top attractions. A round-island tour includes visits to a crocodile farm and hot springs, or there is a half-day expedition by boat into a mangrove swamp or a day island-hopping. Organisers can also plan a trek through the rainforest to the Seven Wells Waterfalls. For the Langkawi evenings, Destination East has various themed events, such as Fisherman's Colony where the hotel pool or ballroom is decked out as a fishing village with small boats and nets strewn about. Stalls serve the catch of the day prepared by top chefs. Other ideas include a Sheratonga Pirates evening, organised by the Sheraton Langkawi. Held on the beach by the light of campfires, delegates find their way past skeletons, knives and ropes to the party. The 264-room Sheraton Langkawi, which is one of the leading hotels on the island targeting the C&I market, has two meeting rooms and a grand ballroom holding 400 theatre-style. A sister hotel, the five-star 204-room Sheraton Perdana, has four meeting rooms. Its ballroom holds 500 theatre-style. There is also the 180-room Andaman Datai Bay, which can hold 800 theatre-style in its ballroom, and the 400-room Berjaya Langkawi Beach and Spa Resort, which has capacity for 600 theatre-style. Other resorts Conference facilities in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, are at the Hilton Kuching, which has ten meeting rooms including the grand ballroom for 750 theatre-style. The Holiday Inn Damai Beach has five meeting rooms with capacity for 240 theatre-style in the Casuarina Room. "In Kuching, a hotel-based conference group of 400 is manageable, but for an incentive group with excursions we would suggest a maximum of 150," says Borneo Adventure director of operations Mr Michael Hawkins. The Pan Pacific Pangkor can hold 250 theatre-style in the Pacific Room, while Pangkor Laut Resort can host meetings for 14 people maximum at its exclusive Marina Bay, usually reserved for the rich and famous. "Groups can take over whole estates at Marina Bay," says marketing director at Eurocontacts Ms Denise Ellis, which represents the island. However, most of the island's C&I business is incentive-led. Activities include jungle hide-and-seek, a day out on a Chinese junk and watersports. "It is very motivational, not for young people who want to party all the time but for people who want to feel they have been rewarded," says Ellis.