Malaysia’s Fraser’s Hill to remain as “Little England”
MALAYSIA – Fraser's Hill, the tranquil hilltop town with its picturesque surroundings, is definitely the destination for those who seek nature. The cool atmosphere added with the chirpings of the wild birds and the cries of the gibbon add to the charm of this little town dubbed as 'Little England'. Despite being located at a much lower altitude, it?s literally a tough road when it comes to getting up to Fraser?s Hill. "The lack of road signage compounds the problem. The authorities must view this matter seriously if they want us to return to Fraser's Hill after this," lamented Taha Muhammad Abdul Karim, a tourist from Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

The Fraser's Hill Development Corporation (PKBF) Chairwoman Maznah Mazlan when met by Bernama recently explained that the lack of signage has been noted and efforts are being taken to address the problem. However, the road built in the early part of the 20th century would be maintained because it is a distinct feature of Fraser's Hill and conforms to the development plan of the hill resort anchored on the 'Little England' charm.

Fraser's Hill is named after a Scottish explorer Louis James Fraser who started tin mining activities there in 1890s. However, Fraser's legacy came to an abrupt end when he went missing in 1900. His fate still remains a mystery till today.

The 'Little England' image comes from the colonial bungalows and a church left by the English administrators. Initially it was an exclusive retreat for the British expatriates but in 1922 it was opened to the public.

Located about 104 km, or a two-hour ride, from Kuala Lumpur, Fraser's Hill is in Raub district in east coast state of Pahang.

Visitors from the west coast can get there through Kuala Kubu Baharu and those from the east coast from Raub. Previously, the last 8 km to Fraser's Hill known as the "The Gap" was used alternately every hour by the vehicles going up or down.

But now they don't have to wait for their turn to go up or down because there is another 13 km road dedicated for downhill traffic while 'the Gap' is now only used to go uphill.

So what awaits visitors up there? Fraser's Hill has maintained much of its pristine beauty and offers rich flora and fauna for those who seek nature. Plants like 'bamboo orchid' and 'pitcher plant' still thrive here. It is well known among bird watchers, as the hill is home to more than 250 bird species, and has been the venue for the international bird race for the last two decades.

There are also jungle trails like the Bishop trail, Hemmant trail, Rompin trail and the Pine Tree Hill trail that allow visitors to appreciate nature. To put it succinctly, it is a wonderful place to unwind after a stressful week in a concrete jungle.

Maznah said PKBF had decided to maintain the 'Little England' image of Fraser's Hill, a legacy of the nation's colonial past with the emphasis on eco-tourism.


House prices in major Chinese cities rise 8.2% in August
CHINA – House prices in 70 large and medium-sized Chinese cities climbed 8.2 per cent in August compared with last year, as the rising trend continues to show no sign of stopping, according to latest statistics released on Wednesday.

The increase hit a new high and was 0.7 percentage points higher than the July figure, according to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the National Development and Reform Commission. Prices of newly-built commercial housing units were up by nine per cent in August, 0.9 percentage points higher than the rise in July. Prices of low-cost housing rose 3.1 per cent and the prices of luxury housing went up ten per cent.

The cities of Beijing, Shenzhen, Beihai and Urumqi saw price hikes of more than ten per cent, with Beihai the highest at 18.2 per cent. Housing prices in Beijing went up 13.5 per cent and the prices in Shenzhen were up 17.6 per cent. Prices of second-hand houses in those cities were up by 7.8 per cent.

Rising house prices have been a major concern for Chinese people in the recent years, as new houses are too expensive for most urban residents. Ordinary consumers are often scared into rushing to buy a house for fear that they will pay even more if they keep waiting; as prices continue to rise.

The Chinese government has pledged to tame the red-hot property market but house prices have rocketed over the last few years despite round after round of government measures, including restrictions on housing ownership by foreigners. Speculation by domestic and overseas investors has been blamed as one of the main reasons for the price hikes.

China's real estate investment surged 28.5 per cent from a year earlier to 988.7 billion yuan (US$131.6 billion) in the first half of 2007, according to the NBS. Analysts attributed the rising investment to booming housing demand, excessive liquidity and robust housing price hikes.


Cebu top Philippine destination for Russians
PHILIPPINES – Cebu, Manila, Boracay and Palawan are the top tour destinations in the Philippines for Russian tourists, said a Russian official.

Edward Grigoriev, Department of Tourism (DOT) market representative of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), said the beaches, spa and wellness centres,
diving spots and shopping malls found in these destinations serve as main tourist attractions.

Grigoriev, who described Russian tourists as big spenders, urged the country's tourism officials to aggressively market the Philippines in Russia and get more of the share of Russian tourists to visit the country.

"Russian tourists are one of the biggest spenders in the world. Travel itinerary should include visit to souvenir and national craft shops, shopping malls and pearl farms," he said. "Most Russians like to stay at national type bungalows, but fully equipped with modern home appliances and air-conditioned rooms," he added.

DOT Team Europe marketing head Verna Covar-Buensuceso said in a statement that Russians visiting the Philippines are the second biggest spenders of tourists from Europe. She said that Russians are also "shopholics" and stay in the country at an average of 21 days.

But for the country to benefit from this emerging market, Grigoriev said, it has to intensify its marketing and promotional efforts.

"The local Russian market suffer from lack of knowledge about the Philippines. We have to start from scratch," he said. Only 12,000 Russians visited the Philippines in 2006, he added.

Grigoriev said the Philippines' neighbouring Southeast Asian (SEA) countries promote their tour packages aggressively. He said that among the SEA countries, the Philippines main competitors are Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Goa (India), Carribean Islands and Maldives.

Currently, Thailand is the leading SEA destination for Russian travellers which totalled 130,000 arrivals in 2006 alone. Grigoriev also told tour operators to reach out to other regions aside from central Russia.

"Ural and Siberia and Far East tour market are now more independent from the centre with their own leading tour operators and regional air companies. These markets are much closer to the Philippines," said Grigoriev.

DOT data showed that central Russia has a total of 3.5 million outbound travellers with three to four per cent of them visiting SEA countries. A total of 20,000 Russians from this region are expected to come to the Philippines. The Ural and Siberian region has an outbound potential of 650,000 to 800,000 with 2,000 of them visiting the Philippines in the previous years.

On the other hand, Far East Russia has a total of 500,000 outbound travellers with 98 per cent visiting China, Korea, Japan and Thailand.


Australian construction sector still hit by affordability crisis
AUSTRALIA – The housing affordability crisis continues to wreak havoc in the Australian construction new figures show. Activity in the construction industry deteriorated for a second consecutive month, with the Australian Industry Group-Housing Industry Association Performance of Construction Index (PCI) falling 0.4 points in August, to 48.4.

The fall in activity meant the index remained below the key 50 point level that separates expansion from contraction. Companies contributing to the PCI survey attributed subdued market conditions to low levels of customer inquiries and fewer invitations to tender, the Australian Industry Group (AiGroup) and Housing Industry Association (HIA) said.

AiGroup chief economist Tony Pensabene said the results once again highlighted the mixed and fragile state of the construction industry.

"While engineering construction is benefiting from an expanding investment pipeline, both the house building and apartment sectors remain in decline," Mr Pensabene said. "This is consistent with the recent weakness in approvals data, and clearly demonstrates that the residential sector is struggling to overcome the impact of higher interest rates and record low housing affordability."

The PCI showed residential builders have continued to report negative influences stemming from weakness in new home starts, low housing affordability and land supply shortages. Simon Tennent, the HIA?s executive director of housing and economics, said that weaker results for the Australian PCI over the early months of the 2007-08 financial year highlighted the risk of a fourth consecutive year of decline in the building of new homes.

"The down cycle in the residential sector is lasting far longer than is normally the case because the housing affordability hurdle is simply too high for many to overcome," Mr Tennent said. "This situation is creating greater pressure in already very tight rental markets around Australia," he said.


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