All about family time together

Malaysia’s Kim family emerged as the champions in Puteri Harbour’s inaugural cross-border Time Together Family Photo Contest, while the Ter family from Singapore, were the runners-up.

Champs, Kim Chong Keat [3rd from Right] and his wife,
Ooi Chean Sean [2nd from Right] with Philip Whittaker
[4th from Right] and friends from the Wizard of Oz

The Kim family from Kedah, walked away with the grand prize of RM15,000 cash, RM10,000 in AirAsia flight vouchers and an array of goods from Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour’s various retail, Food & Beverage, accommodation and attraction facilities.

Their caption, “We share, we laugh and we have fun; We forgive, we say I’m sorry and we stick together; We make memories be it happy, said, sweet or sour,” scored them a spot in the final challenge.

Launched on April 14, the contest sought to inspire time together among family members and ran in two stages. 

In the preliminary stage, families were asked to upload an image with a caption that reflected what “time together” means to them. 

In the final stage, the top two entries from Malaysia and Singapore were challenged to create a travel diary with photos and a 90-second video of their time together in a weekend getaway in Puteri Harbour from May 28 to 30.

The attractions these families experienced included Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, Thomas Town, Legoland Malaysia Resort and a range of al-fresco dining options at Puteri Harbour’s exciting marina.

“The Kim family exhibited exceptional creativity and originality in their pictures,” said Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd chief marketing officer, Philip Whittaker.  “They captured not only what family time means, but more importantly, the very essence of Puteri Harbour as the premier destination for families to play, dine, stay and explore,” he added.

The winning Kim and Ter families with friends from the
Wizard of Oz and representatives from the Iskandar Puteri
Destination Marketing Forum

Kim Chong Keat, 45, learnt about the contest from social media and decided to take part because its theme reflected their family’s inspiration. 

After the announcement of the results, Kim and his wife, Ooi Chean Sean, said they plan to bring their 16-year old daughter and 11-year old son back to Puteri Harbour, this time for a more relaxing holiday here.

Each family’s travel diary was reviewed and judged based on content, originality and creativity by a panel from the Iskandar Puteri Destination Marketing Forum, headed by Whittaker.  Established in 2015, the Forum is a committee chaired by Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels to streamline efforts and activities of stakeholders in the township of Iskandar Puteri.

After hosting the novel experience of having “Dinner in the Sky” recently, Puteri Harbour is planning the up-coming “Challenge of Iskandar Puteri” triathlon for fitness fanatics as it aims to bring the best and most innovative attractions to its guests.

A version of this was published in The New Straits Times, Life & Times on 30 June 2016