2024 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival will feature sculptures of popular LINE Friends characters like BT21. — Photos: Handout
When it comes to holidays, planning early is always best. So if you’re thinking of going somewhere in the coming months – especially at the end of the year – you should definitely start making plans now.
One fun attraction to check out is the 2024 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival in Taiwan. Running until Oct 13, the festival is taking place at Fulong Beach in New Taipei City, which is easily accessible to tourists.
This year’s event is themed around LINE Friends, the characters created by a South Korean designer for the Japanese messaging app, LINE. Today, LINE is one of the most widely-used messaging apps in Taiwan, while LINE Friends is a global brand that’s especially popular in Asia.
The festival features 38 themed sand sculptures made by more than 15 sand sculptors from all over the world. There are over 40 famous characters and figures, too, many of which are under the LINE Friends brand. These include sculptures of characters from BT21, Minini, Joguman and Dinotaeng.
Fulong Beach, known for its quartz sand, has been recognised by the World Sand Sculpting Association as the best location in Taiwan for sand sculpture art. The beach has been hosting major sand art events since 2008. This particular international sand sculpture festival, for instance, has been held 17 times at Fulong.
How to get there: If you are already in Taipei, take a direct train to Fulong Station, which takes about an hour. You can also hop on a train or bus to Fulong from the Taoyuan International Airport. Ticket prices for the festival range from RM16 to RM35, with specific ticket prices based on different events and times.
To ensure a welcoming experience for Muslim visitors, the Fulong and Northeast Coast areas offer several Muslim-friendly facilities, including prayer halls or rooms, and halal-certified restaurants.
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Promos, celebrations
If an island getaway is what you’re looking for, then check out the “Langkawi: Pocket-Friendly Paradise” promotion. A collaborative effort between the Langkawi Development Authority or Lada (via Naturally Langkawi) and digital travel platform Klook, the promotion offers travellers an affordable way to explore the island’s top attractions.
With Klook’s extensive network and digital platform, Naturally Langkawi will be able to reach a wider demographic of travellers.
More than 300 experiences, accommodations and transportation options on the island are featured in the promotion. Apart from attractive family and group packages, travellers may also get discounts of up to 15% on bookings.
Klook is offering folks the chance to tick their travel bucket list, too, as part of its 10th anniversary celebration this year. The “Money Can’t Buy Experiences” promotion sees five exclusive one-off experiences that Klook users can win.
The experiences include: Being the Grand Marshall of the parade at Hong Kong Disneyland and spending time in the Cinderella Suite; Snowboarding in Jungfraujoch, Switzerland with world champion athlete Gian Simmen; Becoming a veterinarian for a day at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore; Swimming with the whale sharks in Maldives; and becoming the first person to eat and drink underwater in the world’s deepest diving pool in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
All you need to do is to go to the Klook app and choose which of the Money Can’t Buy Experiences options you want to try your luck winning. You are encouraged to share your personal stories explaining why you choose that particular experience, before submitting your entry. Submissions close on Oct 31; winners will be announced in November.
Another campaign that the digital platform is currently running is the “Jalan-Jalan Muslim-Friendly NZ”, a collaboration with Tourism New Zealand.
Running until Sept 22, the campaign aims to provide travellers the convenience of booking Muslim-friendly experiences in New Zealand.
Malaysia is an important visitor market for New Zealand and there are many in Malaysia who dream of going on a holiday there. Arrivals from Malaysia to New Zealand are growing, too: For the year ending June 2024, visitor arrivals were slightly over 30,000, which is a 31.6% year-on-year increase.
The campaign with Klook highlights Muslim-friendly experiences and dining options in New Zealand that are said to be suitable for a majority of the holidaymakers from Malaysia.
“Our partnership marks a significant step forward in making New Zealand a preferred destination for Muslim travellers.
“We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment, where Muslim visitors can enjoy our beautiful landscapes and unique experiences with ease,” Gregg Wafelbakker, Tourism New Zealand general manager for Asia, said in a statement.
The app currently offers more than 500 New Zealand holiday experiences, with many of them carrying Muslim-friendly options.
There are lots of things to see and do at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. — Unsplash
Working together
Elsewhere, Malaysia Airlines has recently partnered with travel platform Traveloka to deliver seamless, personalised travel solutions, catering to evolving consumer needs.
Traveloka president Caesar Indra said in a statement: “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our aim to boost tourism by enhancing domestic travel and promoting international destinations.”
Traveloka’s data reveals a steady increase in demand among Malaysian travellers, with flight searches rising consistently every month since January 2024. Top international destinations from Malaysia include Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and China, reflecting strong interest in outbound travel.
Domestic demand has also surged, increasing by almost two-fold compared to the previous quarter, with particularly high interest in destinations such as Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
Dersenish Aresandiran, chief commercial officer of airlines, Malaysia Aviation Group, said in a press release: “By leveraging Malaysia Airlines’ extensive domestic and international connectivity with Traveloka’s advanced technology, this partnership demonstrates a clear commitment to delivering seamless, personalised travel experiences.”
Meanwhile, the Singapore Tourism Board and GD World Cruises have also partnered up to offer bigger cruise options, as well as more attractive and competitive prices for visitors from Malaysia.
With the partnership, a series of new travel products have been launched, including selected cruise itineraries departing from Singapore, seamless Fly-Cruise-Stay packages, and customised cruise experiences. This collaboration aims to cater to key audience segments such as Malaysian families, especially multi-generational families who seek to travel, bond and enjoy their holidays together.
By combining flights, cruises, and Singapore’s attractions, the goal is to create a unique vacation for families of all sizes.
“We are pleased to partner ICE Holidays to profile how Singapore, with its convenience and world-class range of family activities, is the ideal destination to meet the holiday needs of Malaysian families. Singapore offers great value for both time and money, as families from Malaysia can maximise their precious moments together with peace of mind,” said Terrence Voon, STB’s executive director of South-East Asia, in a statement.
Before boarding the cruise, travellers can first explore some of the attractions around the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort in Singapore. There’s the Singapore Flyer, the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck, Helix Bridge, Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, Supertree Grove and so much more to explore at the place.
Other must-see attractions include the ArtScience Museum, Merlion Park and Asian Civilisations Museum.
