At last, after over two years and a half, Gaya Travel Magazine team is finally travelling internationally, hence the apt title for this issue: The World Feels Big Again!
We can’t wait to get the chance to fly across the seas again, even if it means to only visit Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan unhindered, all located on Malaysian Borneo.
While Malaysia hopes to fully end the MCO by June, many parts of the world might still be reeling until December. As such, 2020 could just be a lost year. Let’s pray that 2021 will treat us better…
The lesson to be had is this: travellers are urged not only to research on the weather forecast but also the air quality or pollution index of the places they are heading to as part of their travel preparation, which becomes increasingly pertinent in this day and age.
And in 2019 and beyond, Gaya Travel Magazine intends to continue inspiring readers, like what we have always done, by featuring ideas and articles that readers would find useful and enriching, come what may.
By the time we finish putting together this issue, we are already nearing the end of 2018. It also means that we are entering the period when people are starting to travel for the upcoming year-end and new year holidays – there is no better time for readers to pick up a copy of Gaya Travel Magazine or read it online.
It would truly be a shame if travellers entirely give Lombok a miss just because of the earthquake, since the island has so much to offer. Travellers will also be doing a noble cause by helping Lombok return to normalcy when they visit and spend money on the island, boosting the local economy.
The Malaysian travel and tourism industry seems to be cautiously upbeat about 2018, forecasting that business growth for the first quarter might be better than the year before. Confidence among the public to travel domestically and regionally seems to be higher than before.
For the first time ever, Gaya Travel Magazine introduces a South Pacific destination, Fiji, made accessible from South East Asia by Fiji Airways’ direct connection between Singapore and Nadi. Be sure to read Shahida’s first-hand experience when she explored Fiji courtesy of Fiji Airways.
What would be the common thread that binds the stories together from Imbak Canyon in Sabah to Switzerland, the destinations covered in this issue are varied and wide.
There is a strong reason that people should explore more of South East Asia from August 2017 until the end of the year: the La Nina phenomenon, currently experienced in the Asia Pacific, brings more rain and reduce the development of the menacing haze in the region
This issue was originally intended to focus on destinations within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. However, as time went by, we realised that to only focus on that region would be too limiting in terms of content and opportunity.
The last few months, especially during November 2016, were hectic to say the least. Little did we expect to be travelling so extensively (not that we mind).
Take the time to actually understand the place that you are heading to, its people and culture, and see what positive aspects from that place that you can learn and apply back home – now that is what we call to travel with substance.
It in interesting to see that despite the economic slowdown and evident cost-cutting measures in place, the public’s appetite in travelling, as well as delicious food, remains resilient.
With the new year comes the new look and material that Gaya Travel Magazine is experimenting with so as to remain current yet timelessly relevant at the same time.
And here’s where Gaya Travel Magazine hopes to assist travellers of today: by constantly offering ideas and suggestions within its pages on where to go and what to do, come what may.
The past few months have been nothing but ordinary for the Gaya Travel Magazine team. Besides collaborating with the Terengganu State Government as the Media Coordinator for the Terengganu International Squid Jigging Festival 2015 held in June 2015 (page 84), we also organised the Jom Jelajah Koperasi (Let’s Explore the Cooperatives) familiarisation trip to Johor to uncover the products and services offered by selected Johor cooperatives that are related to travel and tourism (page 74); as well as running two Eat.Travel.Write programmes
In this issue, we invite readers to consider visiting the various art galleries and cultural centres that are available in Malaysia, besides the usual destinations and other forms of attractions.