KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 (Bernama) — As demand for Malaysia’s healthcare services continues to grow across Central Asia, Malaysia is welcoming senior healthcare professionals from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan for its first Medical Tourism Familiarisation Trip organised by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) and Tourism Malaysia (TM), designed to deepen professional collaboration and expand referral opportunities between the regions. the initiative reflects the growing demand for Malaysian healthcare services across the region and aims to foster knowledge exchange and long-term partnerships between medical institutions in Malaysia and Central Asia.
From 3 to 10 August 2026, the programme brings together 16 distinguished healthcare professionals, including practicing physicians, professors and senior medical specialists from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, for an immersive study visit throughout the programme. Participants will gain first-hand insight into Malaysia’s internationally recognised healthcare ecosystem and integrated approach to healthcare travel.
During the week-long programme, the delegation will visit four of Malaysia’s leading private healthcare institutions including Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Prince Court Medical Centre, and Sunway Medical Centre. Participants will meet with hospital management teams, doctors and specialists to discuss clinical excellence, healthcare quality standards, international patient management and the practical aspects of delivering seamless care to international patients.
The initiative comes at a time of growing interest in Malaysia’s healthcare sector across Central Asia. In 2025, healthcare travel revenue from Kazakhstan increased by 29.4%, rising from approximately USD 400,000 to USD 520,000, while Uzbekistan recorded a 30.8% increase, growing from around USD 305,000 to USD 400,000. The consistent growth in both markets highlights the region’s rising importance as a source of international patients and reflects increasing confidence in Malaysia’s high-quality, internationally accredited healthcare services. Malaysia currently attracts around 1.84 million international patients each year, resulting in over USD 770 million in healthcare travel revenue annually. The country’s healthcare system includes over 90 partner hospitals and providers, delivering internationally recognized expertise in various fields such as cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, fertility treatments, and dentistry.
Dato’ Suriaghandi said the familiarisation programme reflects MHTC’s commitment to building stronger professional relationships with healthcare communities in emerging markets while creating greater awareness of Malaysia’s healthcare capabilities among key medical decision-makers. He noted that healthcare professionals play an important role in influencing patients’ healthcare choices, making long-term engagement essential in strengthening Malaysia’s position as a preferred medical tourism destination.
“Trust is at the heart of every healthcare journey. By welcoming healthcare professionals to experience Malaysia’s healthcare ecosystem first-hand, we hope to foster meaningful relationships built on confidence, knowledge and shared commitment to patient care. That is the essence of Healing Meets Hospitality where clinical excellence is complemented by genuine compassion, creating a healthcare experience that patients can trust.” Dato’ Suriaghandi Suppiah, CEO of MHTC.
Beyond the professional visits, the delegation will also experience Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage through visits to Kuala Lumpur, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Melaka and Putrajaya. By combining world-class healthcare with renowned hospitality, modern infrastructure and diverse tourism experiences, Malaysia offers international patients a comprehensive healthcare travel journey that extends well beyond medical treatment.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Name: Muhammad Rasydan Ma’at Head of Unit PR and Media Communications Tel: +603 8776 6168 Email: rasydan.m@mhtc.org.my
Gunshanzhu trainees in Zhuchang Township, Nayong County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province, perform the traditional climbing formation.
BIJIE, China, Aug. 5, 2026 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–
Deep in the mountains of Zhuchang Township, Nayong County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province, a unique Miao ethnic dance has been passed down for generations. Known as gunshanzhu, or the “Pearl of the Guizhou Plateau,” this remarkable art form is more than a performance. It carries the memories of Miao migration, rich cultural traditions, and the enduring spirit of the Miao people.
According to legend, during the ancient migration of the Miao people, their journey was filled with rugged mountains and thorny paths. To help their people pass through the wilderness, brave Miao youths used their own bodies to roll through the thorn bushes, creating a path for their community. To honor this courage and hardship, later generations recreated these rolling movements and developed them into a unique lusheng dance. Every roll is a tribute to their ancestors. Every leap reflects the resilience of the Miao people.
Gunshanzhu is one of the most challenging forms of Miao ethnic dance. Performers wear embroidered white jackets and pheasant-feathered hats while playing six-pipe lusheng instruments. The greatest challenge is that the melody must never stop. Even while performing extremely difficult movements, dancers must continue playing the lusheng without interruption.
During performances, dancers roll and spin between bowls filled with water, balancing their bodies with remarkable precision. They perform breathtaking movements such as the Flying Swallows, Human Pyramid, and Rolling Dragon. The seamless combination of music, movement, breath, and strength creates the unique beauty of this ancient art.
Since the 1990s, gunshanzhu has earned recognition both at home and internationally for its unique artistic value and cultural significance. In 2006, it was included in the first batch of China’s national intangible cultural heritage list.
Behind its preservation is the decades-long dedication of Wang Jingcai, a national-level inheritor of gunshanzhu. By incorporating acrobatic elements into the traditional dance, he helped bring this art form from remote communities to the world stage. Today, local schools have introduced gunshanzhu courses, allowing younger generations to continue this cultural legacy.
Gunshanzhu is a living historical record and a symbol of the Miao people’s perseverance. When the sound of the lusheng rises and dancers begin to roll and leap, audiences witness more than extraordinary skills. They see a thousand-year-old memory, a cherished tradition, and the enduring spirit of a people.
Source: Nayong Yongkang Cultural Tourism Investment & Development Co., Ltd.
DUBLIN, Aug 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — There are some iconic destinations that never go out of style, such as Venice, Aspen, Kyoto or Ibiza, but in recent years the desire to escape crowded tourist hotspots has grown just as quickly. More travellers are looking to enjoy the same breathtaking scenery and cultural experiences without the crowds, queues or higher prices.
This summer, the biggest travel trend isn’t swapping one crowded destination for another nearby; it’s crossing borders entirely.
Holafly’s first Travel Dupe Index identifies the best international alternatives to some of the world’s most iconic destinations by comparing visual and cultural similarity, accommodation costs, overtourism, accessibility and social momentum. Unlike traditional “dupe” rankings, every alternative is located in a different country from the destination it replaces, offering travellers a genuinely new experience while maintaining the same appeal.
The results reveal that the best alternative to Venice isn’t elsewhere in Italy, but Ghent, Belgium, whose medieval canals and historic architecture offer a remarkably similar atmosphere while experiencing significantly lower tourism pressure. The ranking also highlights alternatives such as Banff instead of Aspen, Jeonju instead of Kyoto, and Budva instead of Ibiza, with travellers saving up to 83% on accommodation depending on the destination.
Travel dupes are becoming an alternative to overtourism
As overtourism continues to affect many of the world’s best-known destinations, travellers are increasingly looking beyond obvious substitutes. Rather than replacing one crowded destination with another nearby, international travel dupes allow visitors to discover similar landscapes, architecture and cultural experiences while reducing costs and avoiding peak visitor numbers.
The world’s best travel dupes
Rank
Travel Dupe
Instead of
1
Ghent, Belgium
Venice, Italy
2
Banff, Canada
Aspen, United States
3
Jeonju, South Korea
Kyoto, Japan
4
Budva, Montenegro
Ibiza, Spain
5
Cascais, Portugal
Saint-Tropez, France
6
Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia
Lake Como, Italy
7
Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
Tulum, Mexico
8
Menton, France
Amalfi Coast, Italy
9
Ciudad Perdida, Colombia
Machu Picchu, Peru
10
Siargao, Philippines
Bali, Indonesia
Methodology
To identify the world’s best travel dupes, Holafly compared ten iconic destinations with international alternatives using a weighted scoring model. Each destination pair was evaluated across five criteria: visual and cultural similarity (25%), measuring how closely the alternative replicates the look and feel of the original; accommodation savings (25%), based on average peak-season hotel prices; overtourism contrast (20%), comparing visitor pressure between the original destination and its alternative; accessibility (15%), considering flight availability and travel times; and social momentum (15%), analysing Instagram, TikTok and online search trends to identify emerging destinations.
To ensure the ranking highlighted genuinely new travel experiences, every alternative had to be located in a different country than the destination it replaces, with no more than two alternatives from the same country included in the final ranking. This methodology prioritises destinations that deliver a similar experience while providing better value, fewer crowds and the opportunity to discover somewhere new.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) — Singapore-based retail interior design consultancy, Positive Design has partnered with CleanHub to fund the recovery of 25,000 kilogrammes (kg) of verified ocean-bound plastic across Southeast Asia.
Positive Design in a statement said the initiative is supported by third-party traceability through a live digital impact dashboard, enabling public reporting that strengthens environmental, social and governance (ESG) alignment and improves transparency.
The company said the initiative extends sustainability efforts beyond material selection by introducing measurable environmental impact mechanisms, reflecting a growing emphasis on accountability in retail interior design.
CleanHub defines ocean-bound plastic as plastic waste that is at risk of entering waterways and oceans because of inadequate local waste-management infrastructure, making it a significant contributor to marine pollution.
Research cited by the company indicates that land-based sources account for the majority of plastic entering the oceans, with mismanaged waste transported through rivers and coastal areas contributing to around 80 per cent or more of marine plastic pollution.
According to Positive Design, the partnership introduces a traceable mechanism that tracks how the company’s funding supports certified waste-recovery activities.
Under CleanHub’s model, plastic waste at risk of entering waterways is collected, processed and independently verified, while a live impact dashboard records progress in real time and enables transparent reporting for sustainability disclosures.
Positive Design said the initiative reflects a broader industry shift toward lifecycle thinking, circularity and accountability, with retail interior design firms increasingly exploring strategies that address environmental impacts beyond the physical store footprint.
Mary Kay’s annual 2026 Sustainability Report highlights the company’s decades-long dedication to social, economic, and environmental sustainability – core pillars central to its business strategy and its purpose-driven legacy rooted in Mary Kay’s mission of “enriching women’s lives” around the world. (Image Credit: Mary Kay Inc.)
Beauty Leader Ranked #8 on Forbes’ 2026 Best Brands For Social Impact List
DALLAS, July 31 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Mary Kay Inc., a leading global beauty company committed to sustainability and women’s empowerment, today released its 2026 Sustainability Report, outlining progress toward its 2030 goals and celebrating the 2025 and latest achievements that continue to drive positive change globally.
The annual report highlights Mary Kay’s decades-long dedication to social, economic, and environmental sustainability – core pillars central to its business strategy and its purpose-driven legacy rooted in the company’s mission of “enriching women’s lives” around the world.
“Mary Kay’s commitment to enriching women’s lives continues to guide how we operate, innovate, and create sustainable impact across the beauty industry while advancing women’s entrepreneurship for all generations around the world,” said Ryan Rogers, Chief Executive Officer of Mary Kay. “This report reflects the measurable progress we are making against our 2030 commitments and the transformative social, economic, and environmental change we are helping create for people, communities, and the planet.”
From biodiversity and product stewardship to women’s empowerment and digital innovation, Mary Kay continues to embed sustainability throughout its business, advancing positive impact around the world. Below are key 2025 highlights:
ENVIRONMENTAL
Responsible Packaging: Mary Kay reaffirmed its commitments to reducing plastic intensity, increase post-consumer recycled content (PCR), and increase recycle-ready/recyclable packaging¹. For example, the bottle of Mary Kay TimeWise® Targeted-Action® Toning Lotion contains 94% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content².
Resource Conservation: Mary Kay prioritized the use of sustainable paper sources for product cartons and paper inserts, distribution cases, and shipping boxes – 100% of Mary Kay’s product paper cartons are recycle-ready in the Americas and in Europe. Mary Kay has a goal of 90% of product cartons certified globally by 2030 and is supporting the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), an international non-governmental organization that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.
Impact Memberships for Sustainable Sourcing: Mary Kay has been supporting global organizations such as the Global Shea Alliance since 2023 and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil since 2014.
Water Management: 100% of the water used at the global Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing/R&D Center (R3) in Texas is treated and recycled back into the local watershed.
Impact Partnerships: Mary Kay celebrated its 39-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy representing more than 100 conservation projects supported in the U.S. and globally.
SOCIAL
Pink Changing Lives®: More than $230 million has been donated in monetary and in-kind donations by Mary Kay Inc. and its four Company-sponsored foundations globally since 1996³ – including through funding cancer research, helping survivors of domestic violence, or creating opportunities for women and their families around the world.
Women’s Empowerment: Globally, more than 600,000 women have been positively impacted through Mary Kay‑led and supported empowerment initiatives spanning entrepreneurship, education, and community development. In 2025, Mary Kay continued its long‑standing partnership with the City of Lewisville, Lewisville Independent School District Education Foundation and INCubatoredu, supporting high school students as part of a yearlong entrepreneurial curriculum designed to expose them to real world business principles and creation resulting in a final pitch event to compete for seed funding.
Future of STEM: 51 grants and more than $234,000 awarded to young women from 17 countries pursuing STEM careers; 10 grants awarded to female students through the Madam C.J. Walker Scholarships with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists sponsored by Mary Kay as of 2025. More than 300 young women were exposed to STEM career pathways through immersive experiences at the global Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing/R&D Center (R3).
Impact Partnerships: Mary Kay served as a Special Award Organization (SAO) at the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2024 and 2025 awarding a total of 18 grants to next-gen innovators in diverse STEM categories.
ECONOMIC
Women-Powered: 63% of the Executive Team, 64% of Research and Development Scientists, 79% of the Global Brand and Global Creative Team, 63% of our Global Workforce, and 60% of Leadership Positions in Mary Kay’s Top 10 Markets are held by women⁴.
Global Footprint: Mary Kay celebrated its presence in 40 markets around the world with a series of milestone anniversaries in 2025: Argentina (45 years); China (30); Portugal (30); Kazakhstan (25); Malaysia (25); Philippines (25); Slovakia (25); Armenia (15); Colombia (10).
Digital Transformation: At the core of Mary Kay’s digital transformation is a cloud-first strategy and full-scale modernization of the Company’s technology infrastructure, including the migration of over 95% of custom applications to integrated SaaS⁵ in support of critical operations, from e-commerce to supply chain and ERP⁶ systems. A major 2025 milestone is the launch of the My Shop platform in Germany and in the United States. My Shop empowers Independent Beauty Consultants with personalized online storefronts, fully integrated with Mary Kay’s broader e-commerce, payment, and fulfillment systems, meeting consumers’ needs of seamless, on-demand, and convenient buying journeys. My Shop is being rolled out globally in 2026 and beyond.
Quality Certified: Achieved ISO 22716, the global gold standard for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the cosmetics industry at Mary Kay’s global Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing/R&D Center (R3) in Lewisville, Texas.
Advocacy: Engaged in 100+ trade associations globally on a range of policy issues from direct selling and entrepreneurship to personal care and supply chain and logistics.
Topping The Charts: In 2025 Mary Kay earned 25 corporate awards spanning corporate excellence, the direct selling industry, social impact, sustainability, and science and innovation.
Latest Top-tier Global Recognition Includes:
Mary Kay was named the #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skin Care and Color Cosmetics in the World⁷ by Euromonitor International for four consecutive years (2023-2026).
Mary Kay ranked #2 on Forbes 2026 Best Customer Service list moving up from #93 in 2025⁸. Mary Kay is the only Beauty brand in the Top 15 and the only direct-selling company in the Top 50.
Mary Kay ranked #8 out of 5,500 brands on Forbes’s 2026 Best Brands for Social Impact⁹moving up from stellar #9 achieved in 2025. Mary Kay is the only beauty brand in the Top 15 and the only direct selling company on the list.
Mary Kay ranked #19 in the Women’s Wear Daily Beauty Inc.’s 2025 Top 100 Beauty Companies released in 2026.
Mary Kay’s 2026 Sustainability Report is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serves as a benchmark for stakeholders and partners seeking to drive collective impact.
One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a global company with millions of independent sales force members in 40 markets. For over 60 years, the Mary Kay opportunity has empowered women to define their own futures through education, mentorship, advocacy, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in preserving our planet for future generations, protecting women impacted by cancer and domestic abuse, and encouraging youth to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
¹ Recyclable only where facilities exist. ² Percentage of post-consumer recycled content may vary based on availability and geographic region. ³ While the Company has provided philanthropic support to charitable causes for many decades, official documentation began in 1996 with the founding of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation® (U.S.). ⁴ Women Representation and Leadership at Mary Kay (May 2026). ₅ SaaS platform solution: a cloud-based software model that allows users to access applications remotely via the internet. ⁶ Global ERP Solutions:specialized resource planning systems designed to manage multinational operations across multiple countries, regions, currencies, and languages, business processes such as finance, HR, sales, and inventory management into a single platform, enabling seamless data flow and real-time analytics. ⁷ “Source Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2026Edition, Value Sales at RSP, 2025Data” ⁸ Alan Schwarz (October 14, 2025). Forbes – Best Customer Service 2026. https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-customer-service/ ⁹ Alan Schwarz (March 17, 2026). Forbes – Best Brands For Social Impact 2026. https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-brands-social-impact/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260730240667/en/
wonderland 