- July 17, 2018 @ 4:42pm
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government is considering opening up more touristic areas in the east coast.
Assistant Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Assaffal Alian said the area spanning from Kudat to Tawau had great sea and beaches.
There have also been reports about several shipwrecks at the seabed of Kudat waters which could be developed as dive sites and for historical visits.
“As for my constituency, for example, Silam area has Darvel bay which is rich with coral life that can be developed as marine park and tourist areas.
“However, we are still in the planning stage and have to look into every potential besides addressing shortage of accommodation, especially four or five star hotels,” said Assafal, who is also Tungku assemblyman, after launching a two-day Digital Tourism Workshop here.
Earlier, in his opening speech Assaffal said the state should embrace social media that appeals to today’s travellers especially young people.
Up to May this year, tourist arrivals recorded 1.497million visitors which was an increase of 3.2 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“Last year, 52 per cent of our 3.68million visitors were free independent travellers. These are mainly young people who are very active on social media.
“Their decision to visit a destination is mostly influenced by postings or videos they see on media platforms, ” said Assaffal.
Meanwhile, the ministry will work with all stakeholders in tackling trash especially at tourist areas following complaints from operators and tourists on sighting of garbage at the sea.
Last week, City Hall collected 402 tonnes of garbage within two weeks when the storms hit Sabah.
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No handouts to sea gypsies please: Sabah assistant minister tells tourists, tour operators
- July 12, 2018 @ 3:08pm
KOTA KINABALU: Tourists and tour operators in Semporna should avoid giving handouts to sea gypsies, Sabah's Assistant Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment Assaffal Alian said.
This, he said, was to avoid incidents similar to the recent viral video of sea gypsies children climbing onto tourist boats asking for food.
“Whether it happened in or outside Sabah waters, we don't have the evidence yet. It is still early to conclude and the case is still being investigated.
“However, we do not encourage (tourists and guides) to give anything to them,” he said after closing ceremony of "Retrospective Exhibition Remembering Francis Cheong" at Sabah Art Gallery here.
He was commenting on a video of a tourist boat being surrounded by a group of Bajau Laut women and children that went viral since a few days ago, which had received mixed reactions among social media users.
In the video, they were seen climbing into the boat asking for food.
Meanwhile, on the exhibition, Assafal said this was the second time the gallery held such event, after last year's “Retrospective Exhibition Remembering Tina Rimmer”.
Late Cheong, who was awarded Visual Arts Special Awards by the governor in 2009, had his 155 paintings and more than 100 pottery wares on display at the gallery since May 8.
Assafal added that Cheong’s artworks, be it paintings or pottery, were inspired by the culture and landscape of Sabah including orang utan, water villages and Murut or Rungus patterns.
Meanwhile, during the closing speech, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said the new government appreciated contributions from local artists.
“This exhibition is a platform to ensure the legacy of artists including Francis Cheong continues.” said Liew, whose speech was read by Assanal.
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