PRODUCT UPDATE

BB 16 Botanical & Wildlife Experience

Good news for botanical and wildlife lovers! Check out our new BB 16 Sabah Botanical & Wildlife Experience. Designed for avid botanical and wildlife enthusiasts, this 9 days itinerary offers an assortment of different destinations to observe the scenic and colourful display of flora and fauna - some only found in Sabah. To add on the pleasure, our guests are able to discover the city at night, plus an outing to a nearby island for sun, sand and sea activities. Interested? More details can be found at our website: http://www.borneoecotours.com/tours_view.cfm?THE_ID=51

Adrian Migiu ~ Branch Manager

Adrian Migiu is not new to the staff in Borneo Eco Tours. Joined the company in 1994 as a tourist guide, Adrian has worked his way up to his current position as Sandakan Branch Manager. After a 2 years stint in , Adrian was transferred to Sukau Rainforest Lodge as Lodge Supervisor. 2 years later, he was promoted to the post of Lodge Manager and served there till 2000. Adrian was in charge of the operation in Sandakan until 2002, when he was again transferred to Sukau Rainforest Lodge for a short duration. After his marriage with Henritta in 2003, Adrian was permanently based in Sandakan due to family commitment. Despite his busy schedule, Adrian still makes weekly routine check to Sukau Rainforest Lodge, approximately 2 ½ hours drive from Sandakan.

Being a Manager now, Adrian is doing well in the area of leadership and service. Improving service is foremost on his mind, but the key to doing this is by having continuous proper staff training. “Apart from managing manpower, I’ve to pass on necessary skills to my subordinates so that they are up to the desired level of competency”, said Adrian. “Ensuring all my staff particularly the frontliners master English is another challenge that I put a lot of emphasis. Only with proper communication skill in English, our frontliners especially the boat and coach captains can advance in their career”, he observed. “To expedite staff personal development, we have weekly training and I find time to talk with my guides though they are busy on the field. Being in the branch for almost a decade, I noticed that my staff’s skill of dealing with guests have reached a level of maturity – all due to our consistency in training and receptiveness of our staff to change.”

Adrian foresees expansion of the branch as a new challenge, citing rapid tourism growth in Sabah and Sandakan’s status as the gateway for Sabah’s wildlife as the main factors. “Tourism growth augurs well for us but we have to plan ahead in terms of manpower, skills, logistics and technologies to keep pace with the rapid change”, said Adrian.

However, being busy in career does not mean Adrian neglects the importance of family. “Family is the foundation of my success. I’m a father of two kids and I really enjoy being with my family. During spare time, I would spend time with them and do activities that bring us together as a family”, Adrian concluded.

More details on our team players are available at http://www.borneoecotours.com/team_player.cfm 1

HRH The Prince Consort

Henrik, His Royal Highness, The Prince Consort, was born Henri Marie Jean André Count de Laborde de Monpezat. The Prince Consort was born on 11 June 1934 in Talence, Gironde, France as the son of Count André de Laborde de Monpezat (d. 1998) and Countess Renée de Monpezat, born Doursennot (d. 2002).

On 10 June 1967, the Heir Apparent to the Danish throne married Henri Marie Jean André Count de Laborde de Monpezat, who in connection with the marriage became HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark. HRH The Prince Consort spent his first five years in Vietnam, the then French Indo-China, where his father was in charge of family interests in industrial enterprises etc, founded by his grandfather at the turn of the century. In 1939, the family returned to the family residence le Cayrou in Cahors. Having received instruction at home until 1947, The Prince Consort subsequently studied at the Jesuit boarding school in Bordeaux.

In the period 1948-1950, HRH The Prince Consort attended upper secondary school in Cahors. His Royal Highness returned to Hanoi in 1950 and graduated from the French upper secondary school in Hanoi in 1952. In the period 1952-1957, The Prince Consort studied law and political science at the Sorbonne, Paris while simultaneously studying Chinese and Vietnamese at École Nationale des Langues Orientales. Having studied Oriental languages in Hong Kong in 1957, Prince Henrik subsequently studied in Saigon in 1958.

HRH The Prince Consort performed his military service with the infantry in Algeria in the period 1959-1962. His Royal Highness holds the honorary rank of General and Admiral in the Danish Defence. Prince Henrik has a background in the diplomatic service. In 1962, His Royal Highness worked within the Asia Department of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from 1963 to 1967 as a Secretary to the French Embassy in London.

In 2002, HRH The Prince Consort made a visit to Lower Kinabatangan and stayed at Sukau Rainforest Lodge. HRH The Prince Consort also participated in our reforestation program, Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor Regeneration Program (KWICORP).

In honour of His Royal Highness’ contribution, we dedicated room No. 10 to HRH Prince Henrik. His biography is also featured on Sukau Rainforest Lodge’s website: http://www.sukau.com/public/con_per.asp

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HAPPENING

WTTC Appoints Albert Teo as Judge for Global Award Albert Teo, Managing Director of Borneo Eco Tours visited the South Pacific island nation of Fiji recently as a member of the Finalists Selection committee for the Conservation Category of the global tourism award, Tourism for Tomorrow Award 2007 by World Tourism and Travel Council WTTC. Albert was invited to represent the twelve members international selection committee to visit Fiji which comprises of some 300 islands to do a site evaluation for one of the three finalists for Conservation Category, Aqua-Trek, a dive operator specialising in sustainable tourism development through its shark conservation program involving the local community and the Ministry of Fisheries.

A total of sixty applicants from forty countries submitted for the conservation category and three winners were selected which was then visited by a member of the panel to determine the main winner for the category. The winners of all four categories will be announced by WTTC in the Global Tourism Summit in Lisbon, Portugal in May 11. WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow award is a global tourism award for best practices in sustainable tourism and Albert has been a member of the finalist selection panel for the last three years. Details of the finalists are available at: http://www.tourismfortomorrow.com/prevwinners/2007finalists.htm#cons

In a separate event, Albert also presented a paper as a speaker at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD: 1st Asia-Pacific E-tourism for Growth - Matching market efficiency and social inclusion. ICT for Sustainable Tourism: A case study on Borneo Eco Tours from 13 th -14th March 2007 at Sutera Habour Resort, Kota Kinabalu, . The event was attended by some 200 delegates.

BET Donates to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) Borneo Eco Tours (BET) made a USD1275.00 donation in the form of tour package to TIES’s 2007 Ecotourism Gala and Eco-holiday Auction. The annual event will be held on 19 th April in Washington DC in conjunction with the Earth Day 2007 Activities. Founded in 1990, TIES is the largest and oldest ecotourism organization in the world dedicated to generating and disseminating information about ecotourism. It currently has members in more than 90 countries. The organization's membership includes academics, consultants, conservation professionals and organizations, governments, architects, tour operators, lodge owners and managers, general development experts, and ecotourists. Borneo Eco Tours is proud to work together with TIES especially during the emergence of global environmental challenges. The donation will entitle a lucky buyer to a 7 days and 6 nights tour of Sabah with a partner.

Celebrating the Less Fortunate Kids 3rd March 2007 - Under the sports, recreation & welfare club (RECWEL), Borneo Eco Tours paid a visit to Jireh Home - a charity home for the less fortunate kids. Most of the residents here came from poor families or those abandoned by their families. The kids were taken to the beach for a half day of fun-filled activities and gifts in form of stationery and cash were handed over to them.

Adopting Disabled Patient 10 th March 2007 - Borneo Eco Tours adopted a resident of Cheshire Home - the charity home for the disabled here. Borneo Eco Tours donated RM5000 to fund the special care service for Mr. Afindy Seni, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy with fits and partly blind. As a follow up, Borneo Eco Tours made a visit to the charity home especially to meet Afindy. The staff were touched by the affliction of the residents and wished they could continue their contributions to the less fortunate community in the future.

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Welcoming Guests from International Cruise Ships Borneo Eco Tours handled 400 passengers and crew of Princess Danae Cruise on February 11 and another 173 of passengers and crew of MV Funchal on March 8. Passengers were taken for thrilling half day of city or Kinabalu Park tour.

Winston’s 46 th Wedding Anniversary Winston Marshall, our naturalist had his 46 th wedding anniversary at Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Both Winston and beloved wife, Maria are happy staff of Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The lodge organized a simple yet momentous party for them which was attended by most of the staff. Known as “the Jungleologist”, Winston started his career in 2004. To most of the visitors, one of the highlights in Sukau Rainforest Lodge is Winston’s classic jungle boardwalk. His unique skills in interpreting the jungle ecology had amazed hundreds of nature lovers who had the luck of exploring the wonderful ecosystem of Sukau with him.

IN THE NEWS

Malaysia Rated 'Best Tourist Destination Worldwide'

13 February, 2007 Kuala Lumpur: An American travel magazine called "Global Travel Magazine" rated Malaysia as the "Best Tourist Destination Worldwide" in year 2006 from its survey conducted among 15,000 respondents last year, said the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.

He said this achievement was due to the Tourism Ministry's aggressive campaigning and marketing of local tourist spots to the international arena. "On the international front, we are aggressively marketing Malaysia as a major international tourist destination. We are promoting aggressively to achieve our target to attract 20.1 million foreign visitors by end of this year, with tourism receipts to reach RM44.5 billion. "By 2010, we are targeting to welcome 24.6 million foreign tourist arrivals with tourism receipts expected to reach RM59.4 billion," Lim told reporters after the launching of Reliance Malaysia World and malaysiaworld.com.my, here, Monday.

Malaysia World was incepted to promote Malaysia as a premier tourist destination which offers unique and affordable travel experiences according to the needs of Malaysians. Source - & Daily Express

Malaysians Fortunate to Mark Chinese New Year Amid Peace

17 February, 2007 Kuala Lumpur: Malaysians are fortunate to be able to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) amid peace and in a warm, friendly and joyous atmosphere as the nation celebrates its 50th year of independence and Visit Malaysia Year, says the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister said: "We should be proud of the uniqueness of our nation of diverse races, cultures and religions.”In Malaysia, we celebrate this diversity as our combined strength. We can live in peace and enjoy the prosperity as we practice the spirit of consensus and power- sharing concept among the various races."

Abdullah wants the consensus spirit to be further promoted and inculcated among all levels of the community. "As the Prime Minister, I will focus my efforts toward creating a multi-racial community who are dynamic, progressive, living in peace and harmony, confident and competitive, and upholding their cultural traditions together," said Abdullah, as he extended his Chinese New Year greetings to all Malaysian citizens. Source - Bernama & Daily Express

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Dear ALL at Borneo Eco Tours,

I wanted to write having just returned from our first trip to Sabah

The way in which your company dealt with every aspect of our holiday was so professional and your guides so informative.

In particular I want to mention HAMID and our driver. Both of these gentlemen went above and beyond our expectations and took care of our every need.

Well done Borneo Eco Tours – we are telling all our friends. This was the holiday of a lifetime that we will never forget.

Just a final note – we are trying to buy a pearl ring from Borneo Pearls – can you help? We have tried the web site.

Brian Taylor and Aileen Booth, Australia, Jan 2007.

Wanted to say a BIG thank-u for making my holiday in September 2006 a brilliant one!!

From the moment I stepped off the plane in Borneo I was greeted and looked after at the highest standard by Borneo Eco Tours. And as I was a young girl travelling on my own, you all personally made me feel welcome and above all safe. Although I was on my own you made me feel like I was travelling with my family.

What beautiful people you all are!!

And thank you from my heart!!

I will never forget you all and I wish you all good fortune and happiness in your own journeys. I will always remember my special holiday in Sabah Borneo that I spent with your wonderful team. Thank you so much!!

I totally recommend your company, your so helpful and accommodating, I have already recommended you to some friends and work colleagues in London.

Keep up the excellent work. Many thanks.

Kind regards

Penny Butcher, England, Dec 2006

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WHY YOU SHOULD USE BORNEO ECO TOURS AND SUKAU RAINFOREST LODGE? Continues from previous issue …

12. Community Benefits. Borneo Eco Tours has a policy of helping local communities. Three such communities are the Kadazandusun of Tambunan, Rungus of Kudat and the Orang Sungai of Sukau. We have conducted numerous projects for the community details of which can be found here: http://www.borneoecotours.com/best.cfm

To read other reasons why you should use us, please click the following links: www.borneoecotours.com/why_bet.cfm and www.sukau.com/public/whyus.asp .

Cheap and Convenient Stay in Kota Kinabalu Borneo Backpackers, strategically located in the heart of Kota Kinabalu city is doubtless an ideal choice. The 48-bedded accommodation is increasingly gaining popularity from budget travelers worldwide. Priced from US$7 per bed, it is probably the best offer in town! Facilities include common bathroom, central reading lounge, laundry service, 24 hours security and FREE internet access. Please click www.borneobackpackers.com for more details.

Learning Bahasa BORNEO eZONE COMMITTEE Weather – Cuaca Advisor : Albert Teo Hot ~ Panas Board of Advisors : Baton Bijamin, Susan Cool ~ Sejuk/ Dingin Soong & Charles Heng Rain ~ Hujan Text : Willie Ki, Albert Teo & ‘Personality of the Month Cloudy ~ Mendung extracted from www.kongehuset.dk Layout : Willie Ki Photos : Albert Teo, Susan Soong, Maria Kutai, Victaria Moris, Jonathan Smith, Adrian Migiu, Steen Evald (HRH Prince Henrik) & Penny Butcher

We look forward to your feedback on Borneo eZone. Please forward your feedback to [email protected] .

Borneo Eco Tours Sdn Bhd (226853-W) KKKP 2277 Lot 1, Pusat Perindustrian, Kolombong Jaya, Mile 5.5, Jalan Kolombong, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Contact Number: 60-88-438300 Fax Number: 60-88-438307 Email: [email protected] Home Page: www.borneoecotours.com

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