Citizen to celebrate Eco-Tour exhibition at Suria Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Citizen Watches (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd is celebrating its final leg of the EcoTour exhibition at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, from December 19 to 26 in conjunction with its 100th anniversary.
The first of its kind by Citizen, the exhibition was also held in Penang, Kedah and Sarawak to increase awareness on ecofriendly practices.
Now, together with Time Concept Sdn Bhd, Sabah Tourism Board (STB), Borneo Eco-Film Festival (BEFF), Sabah Environmental Protection Department and Suria Sabah, this green partnership in Kota Kinabalu serves as an important catalyst to further strengthen eco-awareness, both domestically and internationally.
Citizen (Malaysia) consultant Zentrix Chiu said Sabah was chosen as the finale of the tour due to its established eco-policies as a leader in conservation, with ecotourism now as its top agenda.
Besides celebrating the milestone of watch-making, Zentrix said Citizen also wished to improve awareness on its Eco-Mission in different states of Malaysia.
“Whether it is in domestic or international markets, Citizen believes in supporting causes that promote eco-friendly measures by individuals and organisations.
“Sabah derives more than 30 per cent of its revenue from tourism and is recognised as a top conservation destination around the region, thanks to its policies and will power to convert from a lucrative timber state decades ago to a tourism-focused one.
“In recent years, the strong effort to promote eco-tourism in Sabah resonates very well with Citizen and our Eco-Drive concept, which aims to achieve the same positive effect on the environment,” he added.
Through its partnership with Citizen, the State receives incentives in the form of watches to be given to international tourists, prize money for the BEFF film contest and timepieces to be awarded to EcoGreen citizens who had contributed throughout the year.
“Continuous efforts by STB to meet its international tourist arrival target for 2019 would be supported by Citizen with an exclusive one-off sponsorship of five timepieces worth a total of RM12,390.
“These timepieces comprise three Promasters and two Citizen Ls, which would be open to any international tourist arriving between January 2019 to December 2019.
“The most valuable timepiece is reserved for the 1,000,000th international tourist that arrives in Sabah within the said period. The other four timepieces would be allocated to international tourists from target markets such as China, South Korea, Europe and Japan.
“Citizen would also be sponsoring RM3,000 in prize money for the winner of the BEFF ‘Boleh Bah Filem Kita!’ contest, in the Renewal Energy category, to attract more entries in 2019."
Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew expressed immense gratitude for the sponsorships and incentives in thousands by Citizen, especially as it would help further eco-tourism in Sabah.
She welcomed parties with interest in developing ecotourism in the State, as it would be beneficial not only to its people but also the environment, in the long run.