Tourism being empowered in Kunak

KUNAK: Tourism is being empowered in Kunak especially involving interesting destinations in the area under the management of Sime Darby Plantation (Sabah) Sdn Bhd here, said Sabah Health and People’s Wellbeing Assistant Minister Norazlinah Arif (pic). She said investors keen to enter into a co-operation to develop the tourism sector in Kunak could send their working papers. “We are waiting for the working papers of several companies, namely, investors who are interested to manage attractive places with tourism potential in the Sime Darby area.   “The working papers must be handed to the district tourism committee latest by the end of February,’’ she said. Norazlinah, who is also Kunak State Assemblywoman, said this when met at the Sabah level National Anti-Drugs celebration, here. Norazlinah said Sime Darby itself would also be involved in the discussions on the working papers in March. “The joint discussions are to arrive at agreements on the selections of suitable companies who are capable and can afford to develop and look after the tourism areas in question,’’ she said. - Bernama   For the record, several attractive tourism spots in the Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd area include a mud pool (Binuang), site of Japanese rule, Japanese army tunnel, oldest oil palm museum in Borneo and natural hot spring (Sungang). Among the interesting tourism destinations in Kunak included Madai Cave and Madai Waterfall, Seven Wells, pre-historic site (existence of the first man) in Tingkayu. Source: Daily Express
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Sabah welcomes tourists, investors: Liew

KOTA KINABALU: The new State Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal is open to visits by tourists and investors from any country. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew (pic) said Sabah is known for its natural beauty, radiant sunset, rich cultural heritage and friendly and hospitable people. “Our doors are open and we welcome tourists who are keen to visit Sabah and investors who intend to explore trade and investment opportunities here. Sabah has plenty to offer – we are blessed with Mount Kinabalu, Sabah Parks, pristine forests, beautiful beaches, offshore islands, Pulau Sipadan which is endowed with the best diving site in the world, exotic wildlife as well as fresh and succulent seafood.   “Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world, is found in Sabah, and so is the world’s tallest tropical tree,” she said when launching the inaugural 2019 Mass Hakka Unicorn Traditional Dance Sport Festival at the Suria Shopping Mall, Sunday. It was organised by the United Sabah and Federal Territory of Labuan Hakka Association (USFTLHA). Liew, who is also Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, commended the United Sabah and Federal Territory of Labuan Hakka Association for having organised the festival as this is one way of preserving the Chinese culture for future generations. She urged the overseas participants to help promote Sabah in their respective countries. “The Government through the Ministry and Sabah Tourism Board is making a concerted effort to promote Sabah as a premier tourist destination. When you return home, do share your memorable Sabah experience with your families, friends and colleagues, and encourage them to choose Sabah as their vacation place,” she said.   USFTLHA President Michael Ng said 26 unicorn dance troupes from China, Hong Kong and Malaysia participated in the festival. They included troupes from Hakka Associations in Sabah. Also present was Kota Kinabalu Member of Parliament Chan Foong Hin. Source: Daily Express
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Charting new tourism directions

KOTA KINABALU: The State Government will set new strategic directions and provide an enabling environment for industry players to help drive tourism growth in the State. Deputy Chief Minister cum State Tourism Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew (pic) said for 2019 the government was targeting a diverse range of tourists in order to balance the increasing number of Chinese tourists to the State. “As such she said the government was also looking at increasing tourists from Asean countries.   “With resilience innovation, product quality and excellent service standards, the state Tourism industry will continue to drive the nation forward, thus making the state a preferred travel destination. “I believe we can come together to make tourism the best in the state and in the country. The State Government will stand fully behind every effort. Let us work hard to ensure fruitful outcomes,” she said, adding her Ministry and State Tourism Board have a blueprint to achieve this. “In addition to tourists coming from China which we intend to open up maybe two or three new market destinations from China, we decide to expand our route to Europe which is why we are going to ITB Berlin 2019 travel trade show in March. “It’s the gateway to Europe and we would like to have more European tourists and also open up markets in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan and Korea.  All these are important we believe in balanced tourism promotion. Hopefully we are able to get more tourist arrivals to the state than last year. “We will be visiting these countries and doing promotions to sell Sabah as a destination to all these tourism players in Europe.” On the expected number of European visitors coming to the State, Liew said she would know how to assess the number after going to Berlin. “Sabah has always been an attractive place for Europe because of what we can offer. We have elephants and orang utans, clean rivers and clean air, nice seafood and unique culture.   “So Sabah is a nice place for Europeans. This will be my first time as the State Tourism Minister to go to Europe to do the promotion so I would be able to assess it then. “With the help of Matta and Malaysian Tourism Board, I am very sure we would be able to push for the European Tourist market. We have set our target but we are striving to push it higher.” She said this to reporters at the B2B session between Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Sabah Chapter and 40 Asean Tour Operators at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday. Meanwhile Matta President Datuk KL Tan when asked about his comment that only six percent of tourists from Asean countries that come to Sabah with the remainder more towards Kuala Lumpur in the Peninsular, he said traditionally the Sabah market was from China, South Korea and domestic tourism. So Asean market is something that the State can tap into. “For tourists from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia going to  Kuala Lumpur is popular but today we want a breakthrough for Sabah because of our attractions of diving, trekking and mountain climbing, our food, beaches and clean air so we should be able to attract them. “With air connectivity from Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei  we should be able to tap a bigger share of the market  together with the assistance of the State Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia. “These Asean countries generally tend to have a much bigger population than Malaysia. So we just need a small percentage of them.”   He said Matta Sabah Chapter was fully hosting the 40 tour agents delegates from the Asean countries. “This includes their air transport, accommodation and ground handling in order that they come to Sabah as they have been selling very well for Malaysia generally.” Meanwhile on the B2B event itself, Liew  said it was the first time an Asean tourism conference was  held in the state. “All this while it was held in Kuala Lumpur, but this year was the first time it was held in the state so that we can promote Sabah to them,” Liew said adding that she was sure the delegates would be able to understand what the state had to offer. “We hope today’s B2B session  will be able to produce results. We have spent some money on this as an investment but we believe that there will be a good result from it.” Sabah recorded 1.36 million international arrivals and 2.52 million domestic arrivals which increased by 10.2 percent and 2.8 percent respectively last year.  - Neil Chan Source: Daily Express
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Bigger role for Sabah’s ports: CM

SANDAKAN: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the State Government is committed to developing ports in Sabah by taking into account future needs. This includes Sandakan Port which has long been the focus of trade. “I am delighted that a new jetty is now ready and will allow us to cope with the growing needs of this area,” he told a media conference after opening the port’s new jetty, Thursday. He said not only with neighbouring countries like the Philippines and Indonesia but also China and Japan, adding that this is a step forward as a mid-term effort.   “In future we need a port with larger capacity. For Sandakan Port our initiative is, among others, to cater to the needs and enable our trade to increase,” he said. “In future, when ships from outside come not only are there products from outside but also products from Sabah to be exported, this is important,” he said, adding that this includes the presence of potential tourist vessels brought to Sandakan and tourists visiting interesting places here. At the same time, he wants the Minister of Tourism to take a role in this regard, including thinking of what can be upgraded to beautify the district such as Sepilok and the Sun Bear Conservation Centre, among others. The same goes for the development of ports across Sabah, including Kudat. In the planning is a proposal to create a railway route from Kudat to the State capital to facilitate the passage of freight forwarding. Also present were Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Commerce and Industry Datuk Seri Madius Tangau, Minister of Health and People’s Wellbeing Datuk Stephen Wong, Chairman of Suria Capital Holdings Berhad cum Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd Chairman Tan Sri Ibrahim Menudin, among others. Shafie said the Government not only wants to develop the port sector but also various sectors with existing initiatives. “We have identified the Sandakan Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC Sandakan) as the centre for existing furniture. And I am streamlining with Yayasan Sabah and the State Forestry Department to assist the timber industry in Sabah,” he said.   “Not only in the field of plywood but also furniture. But furniture will take a bit of time. “I have met with major industry players like those in Kota Kinabalu, among them Super Wood and Borneo Benar which not only produce domestic and foreign needs but also export to Maldives and Sri Lanka,” he said. “I am confident it can create many job opportunities like Super Wood, which has employees comprising locals who live near the factory. “The same goes for the industry in Sepanggar like KKIP with its glass industry, in Sipitang with the downstream fertiliser and other potential in other districts.” Meanwhile, Ibrahim said the building cost of the pier is RM129.4 million and took 24 months to complete. “The new pier is an important landmark for the construction of port infrastructure especially in Sandakan and the State to increase the efficiency of port services and facilitate trade and investment in Sabah. “Sandakan Port is an important gateway for the State economic development because of its role in accelerating th e economic activity in the east coast of Sabah,” he said. In view of this, he said the need to expand the anchorage area for big trading vessels at Sandakan Port has been identified. Sandakan Port has increased actively and is the second largest contributor to the earning of Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd after Sepanggar Port. The port is not only dependent on palm oil but also become the gateway to travellers and passengers from the southern Philippines. The port handles almost all types of cargoes comprising containers, general cargoes, bulk oils, passenger ships to ferry services and transhipment activities to carry the services and conduct transhipment activities. It consistently operates roughly 4.4 million tonnes of cargo a year. Ibrahim said the project is among the company’s effort to upgrade port development as stated in the Port Masterplan, which also includes other ports such as Sepanggar, Lahad Datu and Tawau ports. “Ports in Sabah were built over the last 30 to 40 years. Therefore, there is a need to upgrade and enhance port efficiency, as well as support Green Port initiatives to promote the use of state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure to meet the growing demands of port users and shipping ships,” he said. He said Suria Capital, as a public company and Government-Linked Company in Sabah, plays a significant role in assisting the State Government provide a sustainable port service through its subsidiary, Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd. He said during the concession period since 2004, Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd has assisted the State Government to reduce port infrastructure spending by more than RM1 billion.  - Mardinah Jikur Source: Daily Express
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Sabah to woo more tourists from Asean countries

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is banking on arrivals from Asean countries to boost its tourism industry. Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said to date, the state only has six per cent of tourist arrivals from Southeast Asian nations, compared to 70 per cent heading to Kuala Lumpur and other parts of peninsula Malaysia. “Sabah has loads of attractions, from food, dive sites, air, wildlife and culture, which it markets to travellers from China, South Korea and within Malaysia. “The state wants a breakthrough from Asean countries which have much bigger population than Sabah. “We should be able to do better for the state with direct flights connectivity and assistance from Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia,” he said after launching the inaugural B2B session between Matta Sabah chapter members and Asean tour operators here. Present were Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew and Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general (promotion) Datuk Mohmed Razip Hasan. Tan added that despite similarities in terms of tourism products within Asean countries, Sabah has its own niches that could cater to the needs of different tourists. Earlier in his speech, he said this year, Matta would be representing Malaysia at the International Tourism Bourse Berlin in Germany next month by showcasing 28 travel and tour companies and hoteliers. “Our participation at ITB Berlin will allow us to showcase Malaysia’s products especially Sabah Tourism to more than 10,000 tourism agencies from over 180 countries. “Matta will also be introducing attractive and fresh itineraries for tour packages to encourage more tourists from Germany and Europe to visit Malaysia,” he said, adding that Western countries have traditionally been contributing to tourism industry thus it is worthy to continue tapping the said market. Meanwhile, Liew, who is also deputy chief minister said the state government would set up a new strategic direction and provide an enabling environment for industry players to help drive tourism growth. “We are targeting a diverse range of tourists as we want to balance the number, not only increasing the number of Chinese tourists, but also tourists from Asean and European countries. “Sabah had recorded 1.36 million international arrivals and 2.52 million domestic arrivals. We are on the right track to achieve our target of 4 million tourist arrivals in 2019.” she added. Source: New Straits Times
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