Local firms with overseas dealings urged to promote Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming has called on Sabahan companies which have dealings overseas to help the promote the state.
His request is especially made to those who deal with companies from China which is one of the state tourism sector’s biggest markets.
“China is our biggest market, before the MH370 tragedy we recorded about 360,000 arrivals from China. They made up almost 40 per cent of the international tourist arrivals. After the MH370 tragedy, the arrivals dropped but I am confident that if we put our efforts together we can recapture the market.
“It requires people not only from the tourism industry but also from other sectors such as the W Group, when they are doing business overseas, to help promote Sabah. I would like to call on other companies to help the state’s tourism industry by promoting the beauty of the state.
“The W Group has done this and will continue to do it. With their contribution and also the efforts from other quarters, the future of Sabah’s tourism industry is bright,” Pang said at a special dinner hosted by The W Group on Tuesday to promote the China Xuyi Crayfish Festival to Sabah.
The W Group, a prominent property developer in Sabah, has been entrusted by the China Xuyi International Crayfish Committee to promote their local festival and their popular crayfish (lobster) to the local market.
Pang added that Sabah is one of the closest destination to China and from his conversations with visitors from China, he gathered that they love Sabah not only for its blue sky, the fantastic sunset, the culture but also for the warmth of our people. Multi-religious, multi-ethnicity, multi-cultural people living in peace and harmony together.
“They feel at home here because we speak Chinese and they can always find somebody who can communicate in Chinese. This is something that we should work on to improve our relationship with China not only because we want more tourists to come but we want our people to enjoy the spillover from the industry,” he pointed out.
Pang also disclosed that the state’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry had requested the federal Tourism Ministry to relax its policy on granting a licence to tour operators.
“The minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun is asking the federal Tourism Ministry to rethink or at least give an option to youths in Sabah to start a tour company that is home based.
“In my meeting with the ministry last month, I requested that they relook their policy of granting a licence to tour operators. Many of our youngsters, especially Bumiputeras, are very keen to start their own business but they do not have the RM150,000 capital needed to obtain the licence,” he said.
So they opt to conduct the business illegally and this is not good for the interest of the state,” Pang stressed.
“We must catch up with what is happening in this world, there is no longer a need for an office, you can operate your business from home. In terms of tourism if we allow these youngsters to start their business with a very small capital from home, I believe, like anybody who is starting a business they will give 110 per cent to make sure that the business is successful.
“And in terms of tourism, to be successful in the industry, your service must be good only then will you get return customers. I believe that these young men and women will provide excellence service and overall will boost Sabah’s tourism industry,” he said.
Source: Borneo Post