Jackie Miao

Sometimes it takes a clear sky and a mountain to remind us of why in spite of many inconveniences, we still choose to come back to Sabah. Here’s a photo meme of Mt. Kinabalu from yesterday and today….

Taken from Tanjung Aru

It all started on Facebook when Phyllis woke up to this view from her bedroom.

Mount Kinabalu from Jalan Tuaran

Then I looked out my bedroom window, headed downstairs and took this shot. (I was actually closer than Phyllis to Mt. Kinabalu but my camera was crappier.)

Mt Kinabalu from where Bob is. Yea, with his toy heli.

Bob flew his toy heli in front of his view and took this one. The helicopter almost looks real doesn’t it?

Cornelius took this from Pekan Nabalu from his mobile

Last but not least, here’s a shot of Mt. Kinabalu this morning from Cornelius Chua. Isn’t that just breathtaking? Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos with me.

P/S: If you would like to share your Mt. Kinabalu shot with me, email your picture to me with the time, date and location of where it was taken to jackiemiao.my(at)gmail.com. Remember to let me know how to credit you.

Check out this program that is hosted by two Hong Kong travel presenters on fishing and climbing Mt. Kinabalu in my home state of Sabah.

沙巴GOGOGO(第1部分)

(Added: 20th March 2009)

沙巴GOGOGO(第4部份)

I thought I’d share this to show that the Hong Kong market should not be ignored as people from the city of 7-million do travel and buy outdoor tour products.

Chinese people generally do one of two things. They either plan their holidays via travel agents that arrange cheap group tours with guides that cater specifically for them, or they get their information via sources they trust will have their interests at heart (like the one above) and  also tend to plan their trips in pairs or more.

Ignoring the Hong Kong market during the course of this campaign would be a mistake due to its proximity to Australia. It only takes 8.5 hours to get from Hong Kong to Brisbane as opposed to an 18-34 hour journey from Europe and/or North America.

With direct flights from Hong Kong to Brisbane on Cathay Pacific, Qantas Airways, China Airlines and Royal Brunei, so much more can be done to bring the right information about the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef to the Cantonese-speaking community to get them on planes and headed to the reef.

I can safely say that serving them generic brochures is a surefire way of sending them packing for destinations that embrace them with outstretched arms. This is especially true as regional tourism becomes more competitive (PATA survey).

As Island Caretaker, I would bring my cultural advantage to market the Great Barrier Reef to an international audience which will include Hong Kong, because I speak and understand Cantonese, am attuned to the habits of the Chinese community and can’t wait to share what experiences are on offer at the Great Barrier Reef to everyone including Cantonese-speakers all over the world.