Pump more money into Sabah tourism sector, govt told

 

Sabah does not plan to have another elephant sanctuary in Telupid as there is an existing one in nearby Kinabatangan, the state assembly was told today. (Bernama pic)

KOTA KINABALU: A government backbencher has urged the state government to allocate more funds to help Sabah tourism players recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nominated assemblyman Raime Unggi said out of the RM130 million allocated to the ministry, only RM18 million was meant for tourism development.

“Also, RM2 million for promotional efforts is hardly enough. So, I am urging the finance minister to increase the allocation because this is important to uplift the sector next year,” he said at the state assembly today.

In response, Sabah tourism, culture and environment minister Jafry Ariffin said the RM2 million was actually meant to specifically promote the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) activities under the sector.

He added that the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) would manage other tourism promotions using its own funds.

“But I do hope the government will provide additional funds because there are still many facilities in the state that need to be improved,” he said during his winding-up speech.

On the human-elephant conflict, Jafry said the state wildlife department is working with several NGOs and local communities.

He was replying to a question by Telupid assemblyman Jonnybone J Kurum, who had requested the government to establish an elephant sanctuary in his constituency to reduce chances of such conflicts.

Jafry said there was already such a sanctuary in neighbouring Kinabatangan district but the wildlife department was collaborating with NGOs and local communities to manage the problem.

He added a WhatsApp group had been set up to coordinate efforts. This comprised heads of government departments in Telupid, village chiefs, members of the community and Sandakan wildlife rangers.

“This will enable information sharing and quick response.”

Other measures included the construction of electric fences and the creation of a team to monitor the movement of elephants.

“The team, which involves the participation of youths, also indirectly instils awareness on wildlife conservation among the local communities,” Jafry said.

Earlier, Jafry said efforts are ongoing to get the Kinabalu national park, located in the Kundasang highlands in Ranau, recognised as a global geopark by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) by next year.

He said the ministry was awaiting a panel of Unesco-appointed experts to arrive in Sabah for the purpose, either this month or early next year.

He also agreed with a proposal by an assemblyman to build a tourism office in the area between Sebatik and Simanggaris, which is close to the border with Indonesia.

He said the area had been identified as having high potential for tourism activities, with the relocation of the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to Kalimantan.

“However, my ministry doesn’t have any plans yet to build such an office there although we will take the necessary measures if this is needed in future,” Jafry said. - FMT