More efforts to promote rural attractions next year – STA
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourist Association (STA) will embark on more efforts to promote rural tourist destinations in the coming year.
Chairman Tonny Chew said STA, with support from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) and Tourism Malaysia, would assist second-tier cities in promoting local tourism products.
“We want to help them promote and market their products so they can benefit from spill over in the industry, because they may not know how to get their product out there.
“This effort could provide them with a better platform for them to get their products into the market,” Tonny told reporters during the annual STA year-end gathering at Lucy’s Kitchen, Kinabalu Golf Club Tanjung Aru, Friday night.
He said STA plans to promote rural tourist destinations more aggressively through familiarisation trips in order to promote new or under-exposed products.
He added that existing locations would be revisited to explore new accommodation and features in places such as Kudat, Semporna, Tawau, Sandakan and Danum Valley.
Tonny also said industry players should work together and collaborate to share resources for the development of the tourism industry as a whole, instead of writing each other off as competitors.
“If we see each other as competitors from the very beginning, we close our doors to a lot of opportunities and create barriers.
“We may be doing the same thing, offering the same product or service, but that doesn’t mean we cannot work together.
“We should think of ways to collaborate and work closely to form associates and support each other.
“There are a lot of things we can learn from each other by sharing our experiences and resources, thus creating a win-win situation and foster better management as well as reduce operating cost,” he said.
Earlier in his welcoming address, Tonny thanked MOTAC and Tourism Malaysia for their continued support in making STA activities a success.
He said gatherings such as this served as a good platform for STA members, government representatives and members of the media to exchange ideas, experiences and mingle to discuss issues, as well as to show appreciation to members who had been supportive throughout the years.
Source: Borneo Post
