Heritage Site status for 10 Sabah tourist spots: Nazri
Kota Kinabatangan: Ten tourist spots in Sabah will be gazetted National Heritage Sites, says Tourism and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz .
They are Batu Tulug Agop Archaeological Site Kinabatangan, Kinabalu National Park, Bukit Tengkorak Archaeological Park Semporna, Marine Park Pulau Sipadan, Maliau Basin, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Turtle Island Park, and Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.
Mohamed Nazri said the sites would be officially gazetted under the National Heritage Act 2005 as it was important to preserve such places of interest.
“To date, a total of 12 Sabah heritage involving games, clothings, traditional food and dances have been gazetted as national heritage,” he said during a visit to Batu Tulug Agop Archaeological Site near here.
He added that national recognition of the 10 sites was important before they could be nominated as World Heritage Sites under Unesco.
Mohamed Nazri said the Ministry, through the National Heritage Department and the Sabah Government, via the Sabah Parks were in the midst of evaluating Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon which had potential for nomination as World Heritage Sites.
On the Batu Tulug Agop Archaeological Site, Mohamed Nazri said the area used to be a burial site where community in the past used log coffins to bury the dead.
He said it was believed there were over 2,000 coffins in the caves of the Kinabatangan Valley.
Nazri also assured that tourism destinations and attractions in the East Coast of Sabah are safe to visit.
He said security forces conduct 24-hour patrols and surveillance to ensure safety in the East Coast area, including tourist spots, is at the best level.
“I come here as the Minister of Tourism and Culture to see for myself and to affirm that the East Coast is safe to be visited,” he said after the six-day working visit to destinations in Sandakan and some in Kinabatangan.
Among the attractions were the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, Bakkungaan Kecil and Selingan islands at Turtle Island Park, Kg Sukau and Gomantong Cave in Kinabatangan.
Also present were State Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun and other senior officials.
Nazri also urged districts in the State to be aggressive in promoting their tourism products to other communities and outside the country.
This is because those districts have vast areas and possess tourism attraction based on eko-tourism, culture and heritage.
Nazri said direct flights from Singapore, China and several other countries to Kota Kinabalu have facilitated foreign tourists to visit the district without having to transit at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Meanwhile, Masidi said in his speech the travel advisory issued by certain countries did not affect tourist arrivals among foreign tourists to Sabah.
He cited the number of tourists from China which rose by 24 per cent last January. He attributed the increase mainly to the 61 direct flights every week, between China and Kota Kinabalu.
Source: Daily Express
