Is Perak Serious About Promoting Tourism?
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www.ipohecho.com.my IPOH echoechoYour Community Newspaper FREE for collection from our office and selected outlets, on 1st & 16th of the month. 30 sen for delivery to your house by news vendors within Perak. RM 1 prepaid postage for mailing within Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. ISSUE August 16-31, 2009 PP 14252/10/2009(022651) 80 NEWS TIME TO GET IPOH DELEGATION H1N1 – MORE THAN Breaking News: SERIOUS IN VISITS SINGAPORE A NORMAL FLU Daily Flights to Singapore will start from ENGLISH ON 1ST FIREFLY September 1 2009. FLIGHT “Approval to land daily is 95% confirmed and we should get the green light soon.” This 12 was informed to Ipoh Echo by Firefly MD 4 6 Eddy Leong on August 14. IS PERAK SERIOUS ABOUT PROMOTING TOURISM? More pics at ipohecho. com.my Name: Deborah Yaw Quen-Yi Occupation: Student Hobbies: Perak is not short of attractions, both natural and man-made. Neither does it Singing and Dancing The quality I lack the infrastructure. Its greatest asset is its people and as proud Perakians, we admire most: would love our state to make major strides in tourism. But our hearts and minds Sincerity, humility, loyalty Ambition: do not act in tandem to achieve the desired results. There is no standardisation To Fulfil all my plans and we appear to have learnt little from past mistakes. continued on page 2 in life 2 IPOH ECHO AUGUST 16-31, 2009 Your Community Newspaper Tourist Information Split in Two Creates Confusion for Tourists ur reporter paid a He could have told me ate to display the com- that have just arrived. visit to the Tourist about the flea market near O monly worn attire of the Most of the passengers had Information Centre, Ipoh, Pasar Besar. There are sev- various ethnic groups, pickups and during the 20 near the Ipoh Padang re- eral buildings of note in and preferably, on less minutes after the Firefly cently “I am not a jet-setter the locality and one only European-looking man- plane landed 4 taxis were but have done a fair bit of has to look up to the ho- nequins. Several of the waiting for pickup and travelling and my share of rizon to see what Ipoh is shelves held awards to do only one passenger hired backpacking. The best port famous for – the limestone with DBI or MBI. Others a taxi. A Parlo Tours van of call of any country is its hills with its breathtaking held DBI or MBI issued was waiting outside to pick tourist information centre treasure troves. He men- souvenirs. How these dis- up passengers. The booths where practical advice is tioned none of these but, plays will interest tourists at the airport looked der- provided freely.” after much prompting, is a little moot. elict and most were empty. The staff in the tourist insisted I visit the Azlan Excellent photos of A big sign board had a centre in Ipoh are friendly. Shah Museum in Kuala Ipoh adorned the walls. taxi number and taxi fares But that is insufficient. Kangsar. So much for sites Perak Tourism Information Centre? The Ipoh tree, Ipoh’s shops printed. There are several inade- in Ipoh and so much for Persistence pays and I was fascinated with the and roads in the earlier half Echo did a quick quacies at the Ipoh Tourist showcasing Ipoh/Perak to one staff member thumbed remarkable black and of the last century, with round up on tourist infor- Information Centre. Would the world! through a highly informa- white photos depicting brief explanatory words mation at the hotels. At we expect a tourist to write A good map detailing tive booklet “Perak: The various major timelines in Bahasa Malaysia be- Impiana Casuarina, we in and complain? Maybe locations of particular at- Land of Grace” which in Ipoh’s history. All the neath them. Do we expect got a Parlo Tours brochure one in a thousand would. tractions relative to known was kept in a drawer at the write-ups were in Bahasa foreigners to understand and the latest issue of the The other 999 would sim- transport links and major counter. Unfortunately, this Malaysia for the benefit of them? The opportunity to Perak Tourist newletter at ply go home and tell others towns is always helpful. solitary booklet was not for foreign tourists who could educate and inform how the reception desk but only of our incompetence. However, very few attrac- distribution because it was read Bahasa naturally! Ipoh came to be named is when asked for as they At the Ipoh centre, I tions are highlighted on out of stock. An order had Ipoh has a fascinating lost. If we are catering to were not on display. In started by asking about the the various maps in the been placed in November array of majestic buildings the local crowd it is a let- Syuen Hotel, one brochure Matang mangrove reserve many booklets. The tourist or December 2008 – eight with various architectural down, as few will venture entitled ‘PERAK The and was promptly told that struggles to see if the place months earlier! influences. A short his- to the centre. Land of Grace’ was pro- I had come to the wrong he wants to visit is off the Few, if any, of the tory – type of architecture, A few days later, duced from an unmanned place for information. It is beaten track, close to the staff have knowledge of the topical points, the per- I contacted the Gua shop lot, while at Tower frustrating to be told that, highway, near the coast or the Ipoh attractions. One son responsible for such a Tempurung attraction and Regency, the same bro- especially after coming to whatever. staff member had been on project, the dominating in- the centre for details. was told to phone yet an- chure was proffered from fluence – would have been other number. After much the reception counter. At How many tourists or of more interest. A short locals are aware that tour- persistence, another person Heritage Hotel, we found walking tour, like in the finally came on the line to the same brochure plus the ism in Perak is split into university town of Oxford, two – one state-led and the give me the information I Perak Tourist newsletter at would be good. This re- wanted. I was informed the concierge. All of them other federal? Apparently, quires detailed planning, only Ipoh-based attrac- that the caves were closed had to be requested for, not a good and interesting on a Friday, ostensibly for readily displayed for easy tions are handled by this write up for the tour-guide particular centre. If tour- repair and maintenance. browsing. and possibly incorporate a This was never mentioned So the unsuspecting ism in other Malaysian short stop at a typical cof- states is handled in a simi- Archived Picture of Ipoh Railway Station in any of the leaflets or tourist can get information fee-shop in the old town by the staff at the Tourist on Ipoh and Perak but it lar fashion, how is one to for a cool refreshing drink. know which tourist centre No knowledge of the white-water rafting trip Information Centre. The does require some effort. covers which sites? attractions only because she had been leaflets also failed to men- The process might be lik- I then asked about war on a private visit. Nothing tion suitable clothing and ened to that of dentist pull- Friendly But Not memorials or any relics beats experience and I feel footwear. ing out wisdom teeth. A Helpful or ceremonies connected that frontline staff should painful process. So what is I was reluctant to go to to any of the world wars. be sent on these trips. Airport and Hotels, a tourist going to say of his the other tourist centre. I I even enquired about Certainly not their bosses Information Scanty experience in Ipoh? had posed as a newcomer God’s Little Acre in Batu who sit in air-conditioned At the Ipoh Airport, the Our efforts to promote to Ipoh and told them that Gajah where several plant- comfort, away from the in- Information counter was tourism is disjointed, lack- I did not know what the ers and Commonwealth formation-hungry tourist. manned but they did not ing cohesion and a sense of city had to offer and was servicemen lay buried. Having achieved very have tourist information purpose. Talk is good only open to suggestions. The The staff were unaware little, I wandered around or brochures. The bro- if accompanied by action response was, “where you of its existence or that a the centre. The displays chures are kept in the Duty and if tourism is to suc- want to go?” Could the remembrance ceremony look ‘tired’. The glass Officer’s room but there ceed in Perak, we need a staff overlook the fact that is performed every June. fronted cabinets beneath At the left portion of wasn’t one on Perak. There concerted effort by all con- only a stone’s throw away Instead, I was told to visit the displays or photos, the building, two man- were some brochures cerned to provide all of the was Concubine Lane with the ‘chee–na-tap’. A crash were used to store booklets nequins were decked in (mainly private locations, accompanying services to its colourful history? Or course in pronunciation or leaflets. It resembled a Japanese costume. What i.e., Grand Kampar Hotel, go with the hype. the Clock Tower? Or the would be beneficial as brightly lit storeroom.