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Covid-19: Kuala Gandah elephant sanctuary closes doors : March 16, 2020

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Category: News

Published: Wednesday, 25 March 2020 21:00

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KUANTAN: The popular Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre (NECC) in Lanchang, Temerloh, is closed until further notice due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) announced the temporary closure of the centre on its official Facebook page today. “Please be informed that the National Elephant Conservation Centre, Kuala Gandah, Pahang is temporarily closed for visits from Monday (today) until further notice. This is as a precaution to avoid Covid-19, as suggested by the Health Ministry,” it said. Meanwhile, Kuala Gandah NECC chief Muhammad Khairul Adha Mat Amin said that no Covid-19 case was reported at the elephant sanctuary and that the move is a precautionary measure made based on the advice of the ministry.

“No case has been reported at the centre. “We usually receive a lot of visitors during the school holidays and even during the recent weekend, we received about 1,000 visitors,” he said when contacted. The centre is a popular tourist draw as visitors can feed and bathe with the pachyderms.

#JOM! STAY: Perfect for the family - Februari 7, 2020

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Published: Thursday, 13 February 2020 11:57

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Swiss-Garden Beach Resort Kuantan has undergone a major upgrading to keep up with the times. Tasnim Lokman checks them out. MY 3-year old son does not want to leave the Young Citizens of the World Club. He starts his adventure with slides and follows up on that with restaurant play, where he cooks and cleans the dishes for me and his baby sister. He then moves on to play with Lego blocks with his father. It will be probably the hardest goodbye he has had to experience when leaving Swiss-Garden Beach Resort Kuantan the day after tomorrow. 

The club has won this mother’s heart with its beautiful and resourceful play center. The experience begins with an indoor playground, followed by tables and chairs for activities such as batik painting. Further, into the club, you will see a PlayStation area for the bigger kids and, in some cases, also their fathers. There’s a big play area completed in 2018. It has toys for everyone — blocks, kitchen, board games, guitars, and a rocking horse. There are a shooting range and a movie room with bean bags. The four-star resort made the right choice in prioritizing kids because happy children equal happy parents, which also means happy customers. It has direct access to the beach, providing an idyllic holiday destination for the family.

FAMILY ROOM

Located 15 minutes from Kuantan’s city center, the resort makes the perfect getaway for those looking for an affordable family retreat as it offers rates starting from RM250 per night for deluxe rooms. Its biggest option, a family executive suite, is what my family and I have the pleasure of staying in. All its 300 rooms have new beddings and lightings. You do not need to spend much to feel like you’re floating on air because even the cheapest room will make your stay worthy. The rooms are elegantly decorated in warm muted tones with neutral fittings, inspired by traditional elements. Its feature wall, television cabinet doors as well as the sofa set carry the anyaman (weaving) designs. The suite has two single beds and a queen-size bed in the master bedroom. As we have a 6-month old baby, a baby cot is placed in the room. Its spacious bathroom has a shower, Jacuzzi and double-sink vanities. The resort has added new tables, chairs and pool lounges that carry the traditional weaving pattern too. It’s a modern interpretation of the Malaysian lifestyle.

ABUNDANCE OF FOOD

Guests can start off their morning at The Garden Terrace Coffee House, which offers a good spread of live stations serving hot food. The continental breakfast includes great options for adults and kids as well as offering international guests a taste of local delights. The Blossom Chinese Restaurant, which serves halal Chinese food from Szechuan to Canton, is one of the most sought-after dim sum restaurants in Kuantan. Each dim sum is prepared meticulously and served hot. This is must-try even if you’re not a guest. Located near the lobby, Swiss-Deli is another spot for people to mingle over cakes, pastries and a cup of freshly- brewed coffee. The Pool Bar is for those who want to relax and enjoy the South China Sea breeze. However, nothing can beat the newly- renovated Malibu Pub. The upgrade cost up to RM1 million and is worth every sen. The contemporary interior and addition of a karaoke set are perfect for those who want to let their hair down. The pub, which opens from 5pm, serves grilled dishes and cocktails.

PERFECT FOR THE FAMILY

Previously promoted as family-friendly holiday destination, the resort stays true to its name by focusing on children’s facilities in its restoration. The resort launched a splash pool for kids with water features, water slides and a tipping bucket. Twisted roots fitted with water jets and mists shooting out in different patterns and directions get the children running around before heading for the water slides. A major plus is the fact that the floors have anti-slip tiles, making them safe for children and adult. Those who forget to bring swimming attire need not fret as the resort provides rental services not only for children’s swimwear but also burkinis. The resort also rents out giant floats. Those looking to relax can soak in the Jacuzzi. However, only 16-year olds and above can use it. There is a new recreational park equipped with activities for the family, including all-terrain vehicles for kids and adults, electric scooter, archery and water gel gun. The beach is clean and secluded, making you feel like you are on a private island.

FAST FACTS

SWISS-GARDEN BEACH RESORT KUANTAN

2656-2657, Mukim Sungai Karang Balok Beach 26100 Beserah Kuantan, Pahang.

TEL 09-548 8288

EMAIL This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WEBSITE: www.swissgarden. com/beach-resort-kuantan

STAY Three hundred rooms ranging from executive deluxe to executive suites with prices starting from RM250. Every room has modern amenities, including LCD TV, WiFi and coffee- and tea-making facilities. The WiFi is fast too.

EAT Five outlets: Garden Terrace Coffee House, Blossom Chinese Restaurant, Swiss Deli, The Malibu and The Pool Bar.

DO Take your children to the Young Citizens of the World Club to play.

GO Head down to the beach or check out the nearby kampung or roadside stalls and restaurants.

HIGHS The location, which has direct access to the beach.

LOW Can get very busy over the weekend, and public holidays. Source- NST

Menara Kuantan 188 set to open this year - February 26, 2020

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Published: Thursday, 27 February 2020 08:58

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KUANTAN: Menara Kuantan 188, formerly known as Menara Teruntum, will be opened to visitors before the end of the year. Menteri Besar Datuk Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the 180m tower, a project of the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), is the newest and tallest landmark in town. "Menara Kuantan 188 will be operational before the end of this year. The tower will be ranked second after Kuala Lumpur Tower (421m). “ECERDC has been working closely with the state government to implement various high-impact public projects including the Pekan waterfront and Titik Tengah Semenanjung in Temerloh," he said in his speech during the handing over ceremony between ECERDC and the state government at the tower here on Wednesday.

ECERDC chief executive officer Baidzawi Che Mat said the new landmark, the tallest tower in the East Coast, would be a new icon to spur the state’s tourism sector and generate spillover socio-economic activities that would benefit the people. He said the design concept of the tower, with its upright and tapered profile, was inspired by the shape of the traditional Malay spear tips, as found on the coat of arms of Pahang. "The design of the tower’s viewing deck is inspired by the flowers and leaves of the White Teruntum plant. Kuantan 188 will complement other tourist attractions and destinations in Pahang. "Its viewing decks, restaurant and other activities available in the tower, as well as the surrounding attractions, will be a tourist magnet for years to come," he said in his speech.

Visitors to the tower would be able to enjoy a ride up using two glass elevator shafts to the 104m high observation deck for a 360-degree bird’s eye view of the state capital. A restaurant located 98m above ground level would also offer fantastic views of Kuantan and Sungai Kuantan. Source: NST

Pahang to tap South American, Russian tourist market after drop in Chinese visitors : February 4, 2020

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Published: Wednesday, 05 February 2020 11:29

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KUANTAN: In the wake of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, Tourism Pahang will shift its attention to South America and Russia to boost its tourism market this year. State Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin said following the outbreak, tourist arrivals from China to Pahang are expected to suffer a drop. “Pahang receives between 700,000 to one million tourists from China every year. The current outbreak could see lower tourist arrivals,” he said. However, he noted that this was nothing new, as they had also experienced such setbacks during the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2003, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2014. "Now, Tourism Pahang is looking to woo tourists from South America and Russia. Based on our observations, they are considered big-spenders as they prefer to participate in our tour packages and spend several days in Pahang.

“We hope to draw them to Pahang and not solely only rely on China tourists," he told a press conference at the Pahang Simply Awesome" short-video competition event here on Tuesday. Sharkar said he was told by travel and tour agents that some tourists have chosen to cancel their trips to the state. He expects things to recover within a month or two. "This is normal as there might be those who plan to travel to China and might now decide to come to Malaysia or Pahang for their holidays.We will have to think of an alternative and look into efforts on how we can attract people to come here," he said. On the short video competition, Sharkar said a total of RM100,000 in cash prizes are up for grabs for the top three winners when they submit their monthly entries between February and December this year.

"Malaysians are invited to participate and every month they are required to send their entries based on the given theme. The objective of the short video competition is to attract people to Pahang and also utilize social media to capture wonderful moments during the stay here," he said. He said every month, the top three winners will receive RM3,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000, respectively, while the winners between February and December will qualify for the grand prize, which offers RM30,000 cash.

Forms for the competition can be obtained from the Tourism Pahang webpage at www.pahangtourism.org.my/index.php/about-us/downloads. Source : NST