By Olivia Miwil - January 20, 2022 @ 12:15pm
KOTA KINABALU: Tourism players and airlines in Sabah will be able to reap economic benefits from Indonesia's move in shifting its capital to Kalimantan island.
Indonesia had planned the relocation in April 2019 from the country's most populated island of Java to two districts in East Kalimantan province, which are North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara, to be the site of the new capital city.
On Monday, the republic announced Nusantara as the name of its new capital.
Sabah Native Registered Tourist Guide Association treasurer Jeff Wong said the flight connectivity from Sabah capital or Tawau to Nusantara would give economic spillover for the business players here.
"For the first few years, Sabah will become a transit hub for people to travel locally or internationally between the state and Indonesia.
"Right now, Sabah offers more convenient air connectivity within Borneo as compared to other routes which require travellers to take flights from Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Balikpapan," he said.
Wong added due to the convenience, tourism players could also offer their outbound services in Kalimantan especially for Chinese-speaking tourists.
He said Malaysians' multilingual skills would be an advantage for Sabah tour guides to offer services to foreign visitors in Nusantara.
As for the places of attraction in Kalimantan similar to Sabah, such as islands, wildlife and national parks, Wong said Sabah could still offer better deals in terms of time efficiency for travellers.
"It is undeniable that Kalimantan has many tourist sites, however, they are spread all over the places which will take longer time to arrive.
"Unlike Sabah, it is nearer and the road and logistics are much better," he said.
Despite the possible benefits, Wong said the tables might turn in the near future upon the complete development of Nusantara in terms of road and airport infrastructures.
Meanwhile, Wong also expressed concerns about losing tour guides who are dependent on international tourists to engage their services.
"After two years of no international tourists, some tour guides, mostly freelancers, are leaving the industry to find other more stable jobs to fulfil their financial commitment.
"Without steady income from tourism, their licences can be revoked if they are not keen to renew their annual fees and insurance that cost about RM300," he said, adding the association now has about 500 active members.
If revoked, a guide has to retake a six-month of course worth about RM7,500 to get back the licence.
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