Eastern Sabah records increasing number of tourists
SANDAKAN: The number of tourists coming to eastern Sabah is increasing after various initiatives taken by the government and the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).
Sandakan Tourism association president Johnny Lim, who is also a tour operator, said its members had registered an increase of 31 per cent in room bookings last year, compared with 29 per cent the previous year.
He said the security level was improving and the presence of security personnel boosted the tourists’ confidence in the security in the district.
“Besides measures taken by the government, especially Esscom, the association and tour operators have worked together to promote and convince tourists that this district is safe.
“Tourists here are more confident when they are escorted by security personnel to islands,” he said, referring to the recent incident of a group of China tourists who went to Selingan island, and gave a positive review of the security level.
In Semporna, tour operator Kerinu Jalani said there were an additional 1,000 tourists daily.
Kerinu, who is the chairman of the Semporna local tour companies association, said tour operators here saw an increased number of tourists after Esscom implemented a curfew in the area.
The curfew in the waters off the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone), which include this district, Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, and Beluran, took effect in July 2014.
He said during the peak season, the rooms would usually be full and tourists had to make a booking at least a month in advance.
“The most obvious (indicator that tourism is improving in the area) is the (increased number of) local boats from only about 30 last year to 80 last month.
“This is attributed to the increasing number of tourists.”
He said hotel operators were experiencing difficulty accommodating tourists’ needs.
“We hope more tourists will come to Sabah, especially the east coast, and that the government will continue with its curfew order,” he said, adding that besides Europeans, many of the tourists were from China.
Source: New Straits Time
