By Olivia Miwil - December 3, 2021 @ 6:23pm
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will launch its Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) which will provide integrated data on the state's tourism sector.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said TSA would enable the administration to measure and determine domestic and international tourist spending, as well as the tourism industry's contribution to the state gross domestic product including employment data.
"Apart from benefiting state agencies and industry players, this comprehensive data is crucial to formulate an approach to ensure that state revenue can be optimised in the tourism sector.
"For this purpose, a total of RM8.08 million has been allocated in 2022," he said while tabling the 2022 Sabah Budget at the State Legislative Assembly Building here today.
Hajiji, who is also state finance minister, said the tourism sector was the worst to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and had resulted in the closure and restriction of flights in and out of Sabah.
The state government, he said, is determined to gradually revive the tourism industry and restore and boost Sabah's position as a tourist destination.
He said among the focuses of its ongoing strategy are developing and enhancing rural community-based tourism, intensifying marketing and promotion as well as strengthening and attracting business events.
To achieve the target, Hajiji said the state budget would allocate RM227.4 million for the sector with RM131.93 million for the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry as well as its departments and agencies.
"Our intention is to become a world-class rural tourism destination by achieving the Asean Standard by the year 2025.
"Sabah has a high potential of achieving nature-based rural tourism such as forest bathing, which is a tourist attraction factor to our main target areas such as Japan, South Korea and Europe," he said, adding that to date, Sabah has over 500 community-based rural tourism operators.
The state government, he said, is also focused on strengthening and attracting business events.
In addition to existing hotels and resorts, based on a survey by the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), the Sabah International Convention Center (SICC) is seen as a potential asset to attract business events groups once the borders are open.
At the same time, the long-term plan for the development of this sector will continue to be implemented including the provision of prestigious tourism products by attracting high-yield and high-end tourists.
Among them are the Lok Kawi Resort City project and the rebranding of the Tanjung Aru Eco-Development Project (TAED, apart from several investments in the process of finalisation to provide prestigious tourism products.
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