Sabah to promote tourism on its east coast

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government is considering opening up more touristic areas in the east coast.

Assistant Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Assaffal Alian said the area spanning from Kudat to Tawau had great sea and beaches.

There have also been reports about several shipwrecks at the seabed of Kudat waters which could be developed as dive sites and for historical visits.

“As for my constituency, for example, Silam area has Darvel bay which is rich with coral life that can be developed as marine park and tourist areas.

“However, we are still in the planning stage and have to look into every potential besides addressing shortage of accommodation, especially four or five star hotels,” said Assafal, who is also Tungku assemblyman, after launching a two-day Digital Tourism Workshop here.

Earlier, in his opening speech Assaffal said the state should embrace social media that appeals to today’s travellers especially young people.

Up to May this year, tourist arrivals recorded 1.497million visitors which was an increase of 3.2 per cent compared to the same period last year.

“Last year, 52 per cent of our 3.68million visitors were free independent travellers. These are mainly young people who are very active on social media.

“Their decision to visit a destination is mostly influenced by postings or videos they see on media platforms, ” said Assaffal.

Meanwhile, the ministry will work with all stakeholders in tackling trash especially at tourist areas following complaints from operators and tourists on sighting of garbage at the sea.

Last week, City Hall collected 402 tonnes of garbage within two weeks when the storms hit Sabah.

Source: New Straits Times