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Cambodia introduces online visa application service
Travellers can now apply for tourist visas to Cambodia at
website: www. mfaic.gov.kh following an initiative by the country’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.
Upon filling in the online application form and paying by credit card, visas
can be approved within three business days. A single entry tourist visas
will be valid for three months from the date of issue for a visit of 30 days
and are only applicable for visitors entering Siem Reap and Phnom Penh
airports. Passports must be valid for at least six months. (TTG)
A Malaysian Disneyland?
By James Arean
(eTN Asia)
Rumours are rife in Malaysia that Tokyo Disneyland might set up a theme park
in the southern state of Johor, just across from neighboring Singapore.
According to published reports, Malaysian government-linked company UEM
World is negotiating with Oriental Land - the Japanese company which
operates Tokyo Disneyland - to create Disney ‘magic’ in a 2,000 acre land
area.
Talk of a theme park in Johor has circulated in the past. A number of theme
parks have already sprouted in the SE Asian region, the most recent being
Hong Kong, which apparently isn’t proving to be very magical. Shanghai is
planning one too.
It will be interesting to find out what the target demographic of a
Malaysian Disneyland would be. Certainly not neighbouring Singaporeans who
would think a Disneyland in Malaysia may not be the “real thing.”
Moreover, Singapore is likely to get its own theme park when the government
awards the license for the second integrated resort in its Sentosa Island.
The license for the first integrated resort went to Las Vegas Sands which
will develop a multi-billion dollar complex which includes entertainment,
hotels, convention centre and a casino.
To build a theme park of this magnitude, location is crucial and the
southern state of Johor isn’t exactly prime location. It isn’t an air hub
which makes it difficult to attract regional and international tourists. One
would need to transit through the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur or
through Singapore. Using Malaysia’s low-cost carrier AirAsia to support this
- as some might envisage - would have its own problems.
A theme park cannot exist by itself so it calls for development of hotels
and related facilities. Developers of hotels, for instance, need a critical
mass and decent yield before they would commit.
A Malaysian Disneyland also begs the question— Would a Malaysian Disneyland
in Muslim-dominant Malaysia still feature Porky Pig and Goofy, the dog?
Pigs are considered haram in Islam and Muslims are forbidden to eat pork.
Dogs are seen as impure.
A Malaysian newspaper has just reported that novelty pig calendars and toys
have been banned from a council office - in case they offend Muslim staff.
Workers at the department were told to remove or cover up all pig-related
items, including toys, porcelain figures, calendars and even a tissue box
featuring Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.
Currently, Malaysian government officials are refusing to commit either way
on the suggested theme park proposals.
Tourist centres unaffected
by severe floods in North
Tourist attractions in Thailand’s flood-affected northern
provinces were not affected by the recent severe floods, the Tourism
Authority of Thailand (TAT) confirmed saying that tourists could access the
attractions as normal.
TAT Advertising and Public Relations Department Director Vunsadej
Thavarasukha said that information from local TAT offices indicated that the
damaged areas were mostly farmland and lowlands, and that tourists could
access the famed tourist attractions normally, including Sukhothai
Historical Park, Srisatchanalai Historical Park, Tung Luang Handicraft
Village and Ramkhamhaeng National Park in Sukhothai Province.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced that the northern line
railway is still under maintenance although it was expected that the SRT
would open the northern line train service from June 7 onwards. However,
passengers wanting to visit the northern province of Chiang Mai may have to
transfer to bus services between Uttaradit and Phrae before catching a train
to Chiang Mai.
According to Vunsadej, visitors are still coming to tourist sites in Tak
province including Bhumibol Dam. Tourists can also still access Tak’s
Teelorsoo waterfall although the National Park, Wildlife and Plant
Conservation Department announced earlier that vehicles were not allowed
entry to Um Phang Wildlife Reserve from the beginning of June through to
October 31. Tourists can enter Um Phang Wildlife Reserve only by foot. (TNA)
Thailand one million off the mark
Thailand recorded 11.5 million visitors last year - one
million below the target, according to recently released official figures,
which show arrivals to Thailand last year dropped 1.15 per cent compared to
2004.
The number of visitors from Malaysia, Thailand’s main market, fell 2.2 per
cent in 2005 on the year to 1,373,946 visitors.
Arrivals from Japan, Thailand’s second biggest market, dropped 1.28 per cent
on the year to 1,196,654, while arrivals from third-ranked Korea plummeted
9.18 per cent to 816,407 visitors.
The UK was the kingdom’s main European market in 2005, increasing 2.19 per
cent on the year to 777,843, whilst arrivals from the US rose 1.94 per cent
in 2005 to 639,658. Arrivals from Australia fell 7.32 per cent to 428,521.
The TAT has targeted 13.8 million tourists this year. (TTG)
Malaysia gets tough
with owners of pirated goods
Malaysia is taking a tough stance against disc piracy.
Anyone caught carrying pirated CDs, DVDs, VCDs and software into or out of
the country is liable to be fined between RM2,000 (US$549.45) and RM20,000
for each infringing copy and jailed for five years under the Copyright Act.
Even tourists are not spared, with “Stop Piracy! Why Ruin Your Holidays!”
posters displayed prominently at major airports. These posters also warn of
the consequences of flouting the law.
At a recent press conference, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry
director-general, Mr Mohd Rozlan Mahayudin, said: “We want tourists to know
that it is a crime to keep pirated CDs, DVDs, VCDs and software in their
luggage.” (TTG)
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