Tag - Law

KOTA KINABALU: The Tourism and Culture Malaysia Ministry (Motac) Sabah branch yesterday expressed its concern over boats that were bringing tourists to islands in Semporna. Its Sabah office director, Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar, said the local authorities were equally concerned, particularly with regard to security issues. He said Semporna was booming and based on feedback received, there were between 14,000 and 18,000 China tourists per month coming to Semporna. “Motac is just taking proactive measures to catalogue the boats. We are looking at almost 140 boats owned by locals who are genuine boatmen and are in the tourism industry,” he said at the State Tourism Industry Enforcement Issues Seminar held at the Promenade Hotel yesterday. Ag Ahmad Zaki added that they had suggested that the boats be painted white and green to differentiate them from other boats. The aim of the move was not only to allow easy identification, but also hoped to boost the image of Semporna as a tourism destination. At the same time, the new identity will help the local authority in terms of security and allow them to identify which boats are legitimate in bringing tourists and which ones are not. He said the same concept was being adopted for tour vehicles. “Other people can paint them but once we catalogue them and organise them as an organisation, they will become strong and will be the ears and eyes of the government. They will want to protect their turf and would stop others pretending to be boatmen for tourists,” he said. Ag Ahmad Zaki added that the boatmen were from various villages in the area. By arranging the boatmen in such as way, he said they could also help to eliminate touts who were making huge income out of the tourism activities. “By making things more systematic, we may be able to help the boatmen increase their income,” he said. The new system is likely to be introduced and implemented this year, after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration. “We have already conducted our first meeting with the local authorities, ESSCom, resort owners, local tourism players and non-governmental organisations, and they welcome the proposal,” he said. Ag Ahmad Zaki also commented on the issue of Uber drivers and said they could not carry out tour operation activities. He added those caught doing so could be charged under the 1992 Tourism Protection Act which disallows the use of unlicensed vehicles under Motac for tourism purposes. “If we catch anyone, we will fight for the maximum penalty,” he said. Present to launch the seminar attended by over 200 participants from various tourism related industries was Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun. Source : The Borneo Post