Monday, August 17, 2009

Malaysia’s First Surfing Academy will be featured at the inaugural Adventure Show Asia 2009


Kuala Lumpur. 7th August 2009 – The inaugural Adventure Show Asia 2009 is scheduled to be held at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre over a 3-day period from the 9th to 11th October 2009, the event is an exposition that promotes a very wide spectrum of adventure sports tourism, travel and activities that involve the great outdoors.

Event organizers, Able Two Events Sdn. Bhd., explained that the show will promote the various destinations in Asia that appeal to extreme sports enthusiasts, thrill seeking tourists and adventure seekers alike from Malaysia and around the Asian region. “Malaysia has a lot to offer in terms of adventure sports tourism. We have a variety of natural terrain that is ideal for a many types of such sports and activities”, explained Farouk Nurish of Able Two Events. “And an event like this will serve to boost this niche industry. It will give the opportunity for many of the adventure sports service providers to get the much needed awareness of their services”.

The exposition will feature a variety of adventure sports and travel providers and equipment distributors that will be divided into four separate pavilions. The four pavilions will be named; the Aquatic Pavilion (that caters to water based activities such as surfing, SCUBA diving, white water rafting, fishing, jet skiing etc.), the On-Land Pavilion (that caters to land based activities such as trekking, 4X4 off road, rock climbing, camping, mountaineering etc.), the Sky Pavilion (that caters to aerially oriented activities such as sky diving, para-gliding, flying etc), and the
Travel Pavilion (that caters to all travel services including travel agents, luggage retailers, airlines, resorts etc.).

One of the exhibitors at the show will be Blue Forest Adventures Sdn. Bhd., a company that provides a variety of adventure sports including surfing lessons and surfing excursions for anyone who is interested in taking up the sport. Blue Forest, Malaysia’s first surfing academy, conducts a 5-day beginner’s course, which includes theory lessons, a confined-water training session and training in the sea. Participants can either take the course here on the East Coast of Malaysia or travel to Padang in Indonesia, where the sea conditions are ideal for surfing. The only requirement for taking the course is that you are reasonably fit and able to swim. “Anyone who can swim, can learn to surf,” says Gan Sien Ban, Blue Forest’s Managing Director, “You just need the right instruction to ensure that you know what you are doing and you able to do it safely without endangering yourself or other surfers around you”. Gan, who has been surfing for a number of years, explained that the sport is growing in popularity here in Malaysia, although the current facilities may be a lacking. “I took up surfing on the beach in Bali some years ago,” said Gan. “I personally started with not much formal training. The “beach boys” showed me how to paddle out and stand on the board, then I was left on my own”. “If you have a good sense of balance and are lucky to be able to pick it up, you will enjoy the experience. But many people get frustrated the first time, especially when they do not know how to catch the waves”, he explained. “As I become interested in pursuing the sport further, I decided to train at the Academy of Surf Instructors in Australia.”

Gan and his team will be conducting short seminars at Adventure Show Asia, to introduce visitors to the sport of surfing and how to get take it up. “We want to educate the Malaysian market about the sport, so that it can develop further on the local scene” said Gan. “We have a growing number of talented surfers one the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia, but they have very little opportunity to further their interest in surfing.”


With exhibitors representing such a wide variety of adventure sports and destinations within Malaysia and other parts of Asia, the show is expected to expand the awareness of such facilities and operators among Malaysians. Touted as a one-stop centre for all adventure, it provides visitors with an opportunity to explore interests that may have been otherwise out of reach or unheard of. Admission to the show is free of charge and lucky visitors will stand the chance to take home some exciting prizes as there will be daily lucky draws and mini competitions for visitors. For more information on the show, visit the official website at www.adventureshowasia.com

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