KOTA KINABALU: Eco-tourism players are told to put safety of their clients as main priority for sustainable business.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun was responding to the recent report on guides allowing tourists to get too close to Borneon pygmy elephants in Kinabatangan.
"It would not be worthy for guides to jeopardise lives of tourists to earn quick money as a small mistake would wipe out their source of income for the next few years.
"The incident of an Australian tourist gored to death (as she was taking pictures of the animal at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in the east coast of Sabah in 2011) indicated that elephant could become violent and dangerous," he said after the launching of validation workshop on Imbak Canyon Conservation Area here yesterday.
While some of those cases are due to tourists' requests, Masidi advised operators to be courageous in stopping the latter instead of pleasing them.
On the enforcement in prohibiting visitors to go into wild, the ministry would have roundtable with Sabah Wildlife Department, agencies and tourism players to finalise comprehensive guidelines.
Meanwhile on the workshop, Masidi hoped it could bear fruitful discussion in formulating strategic management plan for 2014-2023 that could benefit everyone including the local community whose livelihoods are mostly from the forest.
He mentioned in earlier speech that indigenous people should stop hunting to allow the continuous existence of the wildlife.
"We have to see bigger pictures of having animals in the wild will attract people and thus generating incomes for those in airlines, hotels, tour guides and even the locals," he added.
The 30,000 hectare Imbak Canyon in Kinabatangan, managed by Yayasan Sabah on behalf of state government, is also expected to follow the footstep of Danum Valley which would allow limited visitors to visit the place without damaging the nature.
Also present were Yayasan Sabah Senior Group Manager Rosmawati Lasuki and Petronas Sabah and Labuan Regional Office chairman Mohamed Firouz Asnan.
Ends.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun was responding to the recent report on guides allowing tourists to get too close to Borneon pygmy elephants in Kinabatangan.
"It would not be worthy for guides to jeopardise lives of tourists to earn quick money as a small mistake would wipe out their source of income for the next few years.
"The incident of an Australian tourist gored to death (as she was taking pictures of the animal at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in the east coast of Sabah in 2011) indicated that elephant could become violent and dangerous," he said after the launching of validation workshop on Imbak Canyon Conservation Area here yesterday.
While some of those cases are due to tourists' requests, Masidi advised operators to be courageous in stopping the latter instead of pleasing them.
On the enforcement in prohibiting visitors to go into wild, the ministry would have roundtable with Sabah Wildlife Department, agencies and tourism players to finalise comprehensive guidelines.
Meanwhile on the workshop, Masidi hoped it could bear fruitful discussion in formulating strategic management plan for 2014-2023 that could benefit everyone including the local community whose livelihoods are mostly from the forest.
He mentioned in earlier speech that indigenous people should stop hunting to allow the continuous existence of the wildlife.
"We have to see bigger pictures of having animals in the wild will attract people and thus generating incomes for those in airlines, hotels, tour guides and even the locals," he added.
The 30,000 hectare Imbak Canyon in Kinabatangan, managed by Yayasan Sabah on behalf of state government, is also expected to follow the footstep of Danum Valley which would allow limited visitors to visit the place without damaging the nature.
Also present were Yayasan Sabah Senior Group Manager Rosmawati Lasuki and Petronas Sabah and Labuan Regional Office chairman Mohamed Firouz Asnan.
Ends.
Comments
Post a Comment