BOOSTING THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

By RUSSELL TING russell@thestar.com.my

The tourism attractions of Sarawak and Sabah combined has great potential in boosting the tourism industry in not just the two states but also in the country.

“Sabah has her pristine beaches and seas, while Sarawak has dense rainforests and scenic highlands. By taking advantage of these potential we will be able to give not only both states, but also the Malaysian tourism industry a great boost,” said Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari. “Collaboration between the two states would signify a marked increase in the size of the target market and at present, both states are safe destinations and are positioned strategically to attract tourists,” he added.

“But first of all, there must be change and transformation, especially in the aviation sector if we are to welcome more visitors and tourists to Sarawak,” he said at a dinner to welcome delegates from Sabah to the 4th Sabah-Sarawak Joint Tourism Co-operation and Collaboration Meeting on board Sarawak River Cruise on Wednesday night. The meeting was held here yesterday.

Johari said Sarawak and Sabah were popular tourist destinations in the region where they shared many common resources that provided quality cultural, adventure and nature (CAN) tourism - the market niche for both states. He called for greater efforts by both states to share strategies and also improve the market for the tourism industry.

He said in keeping with Vision 2020, the country was expecting at least 36mil tourists visiting the country every year. He believed Sarawak could contribute to a majority of that number, “but only if we have the right connectivity in terms of travel and transportation between our state and other parts of Malaysia.”

Also present were Assistant Ministers of Tourism Datuk Gramong Juna and Datuk Talib Zulpilip, permanent secretary of the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry Datuk Michael Emban and Sabah Tourism general manager Datuk Irene Charuruks. It was the first time for many of the delegates including Michael Emban and Irene to travel along the Sarawak River on board the Sarawak River Cruise.