New cultural centre to be built in Kinarut
KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment is set for a busy year, according to its minister Datuk Christina Liew.
Several plans are in the pipeline to upgrade existing tourist attractions and develop new ones, she said, including a new cultural centre and memorial hall for those who fell in World War II (WWII).
“The State Government has decided that the Chief Minister will announce the new cultural centre. But the plan is already in the pipeline and we are now in the preliminary stage.
“The new cultural centre would display the main ethnic groups in Sabah, as well as a multipurpose hall which could house approximately 5,000 people or more.
“The purpose of this new centre is to provide information on the main ethnic groups in the State and maybe even sub-ethnic groups. We will try to accommodate as many as possible. The new centre is also meant to solve space issues when organising a large event,” she said.
Christina, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said the upcoming cultural centre would be functional for the public as well as serve as a tourist attraction, where visitors could learn about Sabahan culture. She said it would be located in Kinarut, spanning about 100 acres.
Sabah Museum will also set out on its undertaking for a memorial hall of Sabahans who lost their lives in WWII.
Christina told reporters that a task force headed by Ministry's permanent secretary William Baya had already begun meeting with families of victims, who sought to have their ancestors recognised for their sacrifices for the State.
“We would have to work closely with the museum and other relevant authorities to further study and improve on existing facilities at the current memorial site.
“We are now in talks with victims' families. This initiative is a way to pay respects to those who fought for Sabah and by making the memorial accessible to the public, it could become another attraction,” said Christina, referencing China, Taiwan and Japan where war memorials are already doing so.
In 2018, Sabah registered 3,879,413 visitor arrivals with estimated tourism receipts of RM8.34 billion. This exceeded the initial target set at 3.85 million arrivals, as well as increased receipts from RM7.83 billion in 2017.
Christina was confident the State would produce higher figures with an expected 20 per cent increase in arrivals from China in 2019, compared to the year before.
All departments under the Ministry have their own targets to achieve, she said, especially as the industry should grow continuously.
“We should not only depend on what we have at the moment. We should develop and find new ways to attract tourists with new hot spots so they will keep coming back.
“The Ministry through Sabah Tourism Board aims to achieve 4.77 million visitor arrivals by 2023, with expected tourism receipts of RM10.382 billion. By the same year, Sabah Museum is expected to achieve a total collection of 2.43 million under its care, as compared to the 2 million total collection at the moment.
“Sabah Cultural Board has also set to increase the publication of reading material related to traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expression from 34 units to 150 units by 2023.
“As for the Wildlife Department, an increase in Terrestrial Protected Areas for wildlife is targeted from 34,412 hectares to 100,000 hectares.
“Meanwhile, the Environment Protection Department targets to reduce the process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that usually takes 40 days in 2019, to 20 days by 2023. Sabah Parks also aims to increase Marine Protected Areas from 7.4 per cent to 13 per cent,” she said.