Sabah tourism needs upgrade — Phoong

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs to step up its tourism sector to cater to increasing demand, in order to further boost the industry.

It is time Sabah realises its potential, said Luyang assemblyman Ginger Phoong, who relayed tourists’ sentiments that Sabah needs to upgrade its tourism industry to be more value-added, despite its current growth.

“Comments often received from tourists and industry players alike are that we don’t have enough luxury hotels and restaurants. The demand from foreign travellers is growing and we need to be able to meet that demand.

“They want more than just beaches and good seafood now, and we have the potential. Some of the things we could do is to ensure what we already have is up to par with international standards.

“For example, budget hotels overseas are still clean and comfortable even if they are only two-stars or three-stars. Some of our accommodation are not up to that standard.

“A good initiative is to learn from overseas experience. The new government is very supportive towards the Sabah tourism industry,” he said.

Phoong added that not only do hotels and travel agencies need to step up, retail shops need to upgrade designs and products to be marketed to foreign tourists as well.

He also said the local creative industry was encouraged to participate in the growth, which would be a good way to market local culture and creativity to tourists.

“There’s more to come and we’re supportive of our local industry players. We are very encouraged to show that the government and local representatives are working hand in hand with industry players to boost the industry.

“With support from the government and local representatives, surely our tourism sector and economy can develop fast,” he said.