Pulau Manukan to be five-star boutique resort
PENAMPANG: Efforts to position Pulau Manukan as a five-star boutique resort are underway to meet the growing demand for accommodation facilities on the island.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew announced this when officiating at the Lido Chinese New Year Night Market organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) at the Lido Square, recently.
She said the proposed development of Pulau Manukan involves the construction of 40 individual chalets which will be located in various strategic locations.
“When completed, the boutique resort will help to boost high-end tourism on the island. This will enable the resort to vie for a place in the Destination Wedding Market to compete with popular sites in Asia,” Liew said.
The project is expected to commence in the middle of this year, she added.
On the upgrading of tourism facilities at Layang Layang on Mount Kinabalu (2,744 metres above sea level), the minister said the hostel project is scheduled for completion by May this year.
Earlier, in his address, President of FCAS Tan Sri T.C. Goh said the Lido Square resembles a “Chinatown” in the eyes of the local Chinese community and native populace.
“The majority of Lido Square’s customers are Chinese, who choose the venue for their marketing chores, and 80 per cent of the shopkeepers are Chinese as well.
“And for the first time, the Chinese New Year Carnival (jointly organised by FCAS and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) was moved to Lido Square, further uplifting Lido as a place where the Chinese community gathers,” he said.
According to Goh, Lido Square is the last remaining Chinese wet market in Kota Kinabalu, given that this market is larger in size than the one in Taman Foh Sang, Luyang.
“Moreover, the existing wet market in the Kota Kinabalu Central Market in the city centre has not been the first choice for local Chinese for many years,” he pointed out.
Also present were Assistant Minister of Finance Tan Lee Fatt, and FCAS Vice-Presidents Kapitan Fung Chun Fatt and Ng Young Wah.