News & Updates from KePKAS
07Dec
Sabah Govt launches weekly night market in Gaya Street to boost tourism.
KOTA KINABALU: Tourists and visitors looking for a quick taste of Sabah can now stroll along Gaya Street to check out the various handicraft and local bites at the weekly Api Api Night Food Market.
The inaugural weekend night market at the city's famous Gaya Street will take place every Friday and Saturday, starting from 6pm to 2am.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said one way to boost tourism and inject soul to the city is by attracting many people to Gaya Street, which was already popular for its Sunday morning fairs.
"A holiday in Kota Kinabalu will not be complete without visiting the Night Food Market or Gaya Street Fair, where there is plenty to see and learn about local culture and food.
Liew, who is also the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said Gaya Street was selected as the location due to its historical features, with some of its shops built over 100 years ago.
Other efforts to keep the city vibrant and buzzing with activity included setting aside the section of Gaya Street, known as Lintasan Deasoka, for food trucks.
"Lintasan Deasoka itself will become a spot for entertainers to display their talent. It can also be a place to hold events such as fashion shows and dance performances.
"This will add value and lend an air of festivity to the night market," she said on Saturday (Dec 1).
Liew said for tourists to choose Sabah as their annual holiday destination, the authorities must ensure that public toilets and food premises are always clean, in addition to properly maintaining public facilities.
"The key is cleanliness because no tourist would want to return if basic considerations such as cleanliness are absent. Keep Kota Kinabalu clean. Keep Sabah clean.
"Cleanliness is not only essential to ensure a healthy life for everybody, but it is also important if we want tourists to keep coming back," she elaborated.
According to Liew, another aspect that must not be neglected is security.
"Only barely two weeks ago, the KK Watch was launched to help boost security in the city.
"This patrol team was formed to make Kota Kinabalu a safe city and so people can feel secure when walking the streets at night," she said.
Source : Star Online
Kota Kinabalu: Kampung Rundum in Tenom has the potential to be the next best tourist destination in the interiors.
Deputy Chief Minister cum Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said her Ministry already made a study on the history of the place in 1995.
She cited "The Rundum Rebellion" or "The Rundum Uprising" led by Ontoros Antanom against the British North Borneo Chartered Company in 1915.
She said this during her winding-up speech in response to the recommendation by the Kemabong Assemblyman Jamawi Jafaar to conduct a study on Kg Rundum.
Liew said examinations on the former site of the British administration were also carried out.
"My Ministry will conduct further research for the purpose of attracting heritage tourism products," she said.
She said Rundum is also surrounded by tropical rainforest with temperature reaching 16 degrees Celsius.
"It has the potential of being developed for eco-highprofile agricultural land-based tourism," she said.
She said the beauty of the waterfall and the fishes, if managed properly by the local community, can potentially make Rundum the best eco and agro tourism destination in the interior of Sabah.
"In this regard, my Ministry has already discussed with the Tenom District Tourism Action Council and the Tenom District Tourism Association to hold a tourist awareness briefing with the community at Kg Rundum," she said.
She said to further enhance the tourism sector, her Ministry has identified the East Coast of Sabah namely Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna as a new hub of tourist destinations to be given focus.
" My ministry is aware of the need for international airports besides Kota Kinabalu.
"For that purpose, my Ministry has raised the motion to upgrade the status of Sandakan and Tawau airports as an alternative entrance for foreign tourists to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
"If this is realised, the tourism industry in the East Coast will continue to grow," she said. She said Kota Kinabalu will introduce a new event from Dec 1, this year, to attract tourists, called the "Api-Api Night Market".
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal is scheduled to launch the programme which is aimed at providing opportunities for small entrepreneurs in addition to being a tourist attraction.
The programme will be held eight times a month, every Friday and Saturday, from 6pm until 2am and open to food, seasonal fruits and handicrafts traders.
On another note, she said global tourism for 2018 is expected to record a good growth at four to five percent.
She said arrival of Asian tourism is expected to record better growth at around five up to six per cent.
For the period January to September, Sabah received 308 unscheduled flights (special and extra charter) linking Sabah with 297 destinations.
As of Oct 30, this year, Sabah is connected with 24 international flights by 13 foreign airlines providing 216 flights per week.
Liew said her ministry will continue to develop Sabah's tourism sector by focusing on quality and digital marketing activities.
She also stated that her Ministry is aware of the importance of domestic tourists as the sector is more stable than international travelers who are sensitive to external factors. She was responding to the Karanaan Assemblyman Datuk Masidi Manjun's suggestion for the State tourism to focus on domestic tourism.
She said to date, the Ministry maintains 60 per cent of the domestic market and 40 per cent of the international market. "I have also directed efforts to attract domestic tourists to be enhanced through several initiatives," she said.
Among them is to collaborate with AirAsia to bring domestic Key Opinion Leaders (KoLs) from the media and social media to promote routes, namely, Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan, Tawau-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-Tawau and Johor Baharu-Tawau.
Her Ministry also took note of the recommendation by Masidi for them to collaborate with hotel operators in creating tour packages.
"Discussions with hotel operators to produce creative packages are being intensified," she said
On the tourism tax collected in Sabah, she said her Ministry will discuss with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture for tourism purposes in Sabah.
On the proposal by Kuala Penyu Assemblyman Limus Jury on the entry of tourists to Pulau Tiga, Liew said the matter was determined by the tourism agency offering travel packages to Kuala Penyu, including to Pulau Tiga Park.
However, travel agencies ferrying tourists to Taman Pulau Tiga are encouraged to enter through Kuala Penyu town.
On the collection of entrance fees to Taman Pulau Tiga collected by Sabah Parks, she said the money is used to cover the cost of park operations.
The total collection fees is only RM216, 000 in a year.
"This amount is only about 28 per cent of the total operating and maintenance costs of the Park which reaches RM780,000 a year, excluding staff's salary and allowance of 24 people," she explained. - Sherell Jeffrey
Photo Source: Christina Liew FB Page
Source: Daily Express