State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister pays courtesy call on TYT, extends invitation to 30th Regatta Lepa 2025
Published on: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Published on: Wed, May 14, 2025 Text Size: Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew paying a courtesy call on Head of State Tun Musa Aman at the Istana Seri Kinabalu on Tuesday to officially invite him to attend the 30th Regatta Lepa 2025 in Semporna. Liew, who is also Chairman of the Main Organising Committee, said the annual water festival will begin on June 14, culminating in a procession of decorated 'lepa' boats on June 29. Highlights include the 'Ratu Lepa 2025' Competition and Traditional Lepa Competition. "This year's Regatta Lepa promises a more vibrant cultural experience with the presence of both local and international tourists,' she said. She encouraged the public not to miss the opportunity to witness the unique cultural heritage of the Bajau community, which is a source of pride for Semporna. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
10 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Chinese travel more during Dragon Boat holiday but spending lags
China's Dragon Boat Festival took place from May 31 to June 2, 2025 and was celebrated throughout the country with local dragon boat races. (EPA Images pic) HONG KONG : Chinese people travelled more over the three-day Dragon Boat holiday this year, but spending remained below pre-pandemic levels, government data showed today, indicators that are closely watched as barometers of consumer confidence. Consumption in the world's second-largest economy has suffered amid sputtering growth and a prolonged property crisis, with uncertainty from the US-China trade war also weighing on consumer confidence. The latest data painted a mixed picture for China's consumer economy. Tourists took an estimated 119 million domestic journeys from Friday to Monday, up 5.7% from the same holiday period last year, according to the tourism and culture ministry. Overall spending over the period rose to ¥42.73 billion (US$5.94 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.9%, but the average amount spent per traveller was a little under ¥360 (US$50), according to Reuters calculations, remaining stubbornly below 2019 levels of around ¥410 per trip. The annual festival took place from May 31 to June 2 this year and is celebrated throughout the country with local dragon boat races. Many people take the opportunity to have short holidays, crowding train stations and airports around the country. Overall, more than 653.7 million inter-regional trips across all regions in China, which include tourist trips, were made during the three-day holiday, up 2.5% year-on-year, state media Xinhua reported today, and road travel was up 2.4% from last year with 597.3 million trips recorded. Cross-border journeys rose 2.7% to 5.9 million, with 231,000 foreign nationals entering the country visa-free during the holiday. China has been expanding its visa policy, with citizens of 43 countries granted visa-free access, while visa-free transit for up to 240 hours in China is available for 54 countries. Chinese also boosted spending on entertainment over the holiday, with cinema box office revenue reaching ¥460 million (US$63.9 million), surpassing last year's ¥384 million, according to data from online ticketing platform Maoyan. Tom Cruise's latest movie 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' topped charts, and generated ¥228 million, half of the total revenue during the holiday period, which was seen as a positive indicator for the upcoming summer season.
Borneo Post
13 hours ago
- Borneo Post
CM: Security on Sabah's east coast at the highest level
Hajiji (second right) receives a memento from Dr Eldeen. KOTA KINABALU (June 3): Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor has given assurance that the security level on Sabah's east coast remains at its highest, with no untoward incidents occurring in recent years. He made this statement during a courtesy visit by Malaysia's Ambassador to France, Datuk Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, at his office in Menara Kinabalu on Tuesday. During the meeting, the Chief Minister also expressed his delight in hearing that Sabah continues to be a key destination for French visitors, ranking third in European tourist arrivals to Sabah, after the United Kingdom and Germany. French tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year recorded a 26.8 percent increase to 2,116 visitors compared to 1,669 in the same period last year, and the number continues to rise. Hajiji is confident that continued, more proactive and aggressive promotional efforts will certainly help to further increase the arrival of French visitors to Sabah. Eldeen Husaini, who hails from Kuala Lumpur, was appointed as Malaysia's Ambassador to France in April 2024. He has previously held various important positions, including Malaysia's Ambassador to Cambodia. Hajiji and Eldeen discussed a range of strategic cooperation opportunities between Sabah and France, including in the field of tourism, which will bring mutual benefits to the people of the state. Also present were Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who is also chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), STB Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit, director of International Promotion (Americas, Europe, Oceania) at Tourism Malaysia, Akbal Setia, and director of Tourism Malaysia Paris, Zalina Ahmad.
The Star
15 hours ago
- The Star
No untoward incidents reported in Sabah's east coast in recent years, says Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU: Security in Sabah's east coast remains at the highest level, with no untoward incidents reported in recent years, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. The Chief Minister gave the assurance during a courtesy call by Malaysian Ambassador to France, Datuk Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, at his office in Menara Kinabalu on Tuesday (June 3). During the meeting, Hajiji also welcomed the rise in French tourist arrivals to Sabah, noting that France is now the third-highest source of European visitors to the state, after Britain and Germany. 'French arrivals in the first quarter of this year saw a 26.8% increase, reaching 2,116 visitors compared to 1,669 in the same period last year — and the number continues to grow,' he said in a statement. Hajiji expressed confidence that proactive and aggressive promotion efforts would further boost French tourism to Sabah. He and Eldeen also discussed strategic collaboration opportunities between Sabah and France, particularly in tourism, which they said would benefit the state and its people. Eldeen, a Kuala Lumpur native, was appointed Ambassador to France in April 2024 and has held various key positions, including as Malaysia's envoy to Cambodia. Also present were state Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who is also Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman, STB chief executive officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit, Tourism Malaysia international promotions director Akbal Setia and Tourism Malaysia Paris director Zalina Ahmad. To date, several countries — including the US, Britain, Canada and Australia — continue to maintain travel advisories cautioning against visiting eastern Sabah, particularly coastal and island areas, due to concerns over potential kidnappings and security risks.
