Panel to study need to limit visitors to islands: Masidi
Kota Kinabalu: A panel has been set up to study the possibility of limiting the carrying capacity of islands in the State to avoid them from being overcrowded.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said on Saturday that the Government may introduce a limit on visitors to the islands to prevent them from being overcrowded like a “pasar malam” (night market).
“We need to look and find ways to ensure our tourism products are sustainable and some islands have now become more like a ‘pasar malam’,” he said.
However, he said the Government was not in a rush to introduce the limit as doing so may have negative commercial implications.
“We need to have a fine balance of commercial and environment,” he said.
The move came following environmental concerns like pollution due to an increasing number of tourists visiting the State’s islands.
In August 2013, Masidi raised the alarm that the state of cleanliness of island parks have reached a critical stage due to the rubbish thrown by visitors and local inhabitants, especially in Pulau Sapi.
He subsequently held talks with Sabah Parks on the issue and a panel was formed last November.
Meanwhile, diving haven Sipadan remains off-limit to development amid reports that a renowned China-based diving centre plans to invest RM2.5 billion on a tourism-based integrated development project there.
Masidi, who is in the dark over the development, said there is no way anyone can build a structure on the marine park which has a carrying capacity of 120.
It is learnt that on Jan 6 officials from Diving Best, the operator of China’s Sanya Diving Training Centre, met for a second time with officials from Sabah Economic Development Investment Authority (Sedia) to discuss their plans on developing a large area in Sipadan.
The development includes a tourism-based resort and commercial and high-end residential areas, with focus on marine activities, divided into five zones, the report quoting a Sedia statement.
To date, neither Sedia nor Diving Best has elaborated details on the billion-ringgit investment, including its location.
Source: Daily Express
