Tourism to get RM230.99 mln

KOTA KINABALU: A sum of RM230.99 million will be allocated next year to spur development of the State's tourism industry.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman said this was to ensure that the tourism sector continued to expand and remain relevant as well as to guarantee that environmental resources and cultural heritage were preserved and conserved.

“The Government will continue to boost programmes for tourism, culture and environment.

“Efforts will continue to be intensified in identifying main target markets, in planning and arranging marketing strategies for short and long terms to attract more tourists to Sabah.

“Thus, the Government will accelerate the tourism development momentum, especially in promotion and marketing as well as provision of highly competitive and quality new tourism products, apart from improving quality of current products,” he said.

In the first five months of this year, Sabah recorded 1,337,126 tourist arrivals, an increase of 3.2 percent compared to 1,295,484 people in the same period of 2015.

Of the total figure, domestic tourist arrivals were 882,109 while foreign visitors were 455,017. Most of these tourists were from China (including Hong Kong), South Korea and Brunei.

In terms of tourism receipts, tourist arrivals contributed about RM2.852 billion, an increase of 5.3 percent compared to RM2.709 billion in the same period of last year.

Musa assured that the Government would continue to expand air connectivity in the State either through scheduled direct flights or special charted flights, given the fact that 90 percent of visitor arrivals were by air.

He said the Tun Mustapha Park, with an area of 898,762.76 hectares gazetted in May this year, was expected to be fully operational by next year.

“These are amongst the Government continuous initiatives in its effort to enhance protection of the State natural heritage as well as preservation and conservation of environment, flora and fauna.

“We realize that all these are for the benefit of our present and future generations as well as a valuable asset for the tourism sector in the State,” he said, adding that concurrently under those initiatives, the Government had declared all the six areas of Marine Parks in Sabah as Shark Sanctuary.

On Government's commitment to protect and conserve wildlife from extinction, Musa reckoned the Government would intensify efforts to ensure that the respective species would remain in their natural habitat and regulated through improved enactments and policies.

“The Government will always ensure that every development activity in the State is implemented by taking into account environmental protection in planning and implementing development activity.

“For this, the Government is now in the process of finalizing the Environment Masterplan and Policy.”

He said the Government through the State Museum Department and Sabah State Cultural Board would continue to implement various cultural programmes to develop and uplift art and culture as tourism products.

“Hence, the Government will build the Tun Mustapha Museum beginning next year with a projected cost of RM7 million,” he added.