US travel advisory of little use
Published on: Sunday, June 16, 2013
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah continued to record an increase in foreign tourist arrivals, including from western countries.This is despite the travel advisories issued by the United States, Canada and Australia for its citizens not to come to the State because of the Lahad Datu terrorist incident being still active.State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said this in response to Federal Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz's statement last week that the travel advisories issued by the said countries on Sabah are still active.
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"This is not something new because previously the Western countries especially have also issued similar travel advisories," he said."It is normal thing, as we observed it, that whenever the United States issued a travel advisory some other countries would follow," he said when met after he officiated at the opening of the Education Ministry meet-the-client session held at 1Borneo, Saturday. Although it would take time for these countries to rethink about the travel advisory issued on Sabah, Masidi believes the latest development going on in the State would make them more confident that the advisory issued actually has become obsolete. "They (the said countries) will have to withdraw it because the situation in Sabah has changed," said the Karanaan Assemblyman, adding the State Government and his Ministry preferred that while they are seeking the countries concerned to withdraw the travel advisory they, at the same time, would give them ample time to make a decision on the matter.
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Masidi said last week he has also met with the Ambassador of Germany to Malaysia who had informed him that the country has withdrawn its travel advisory on Sabah. "But whatever it is, or whatever that they have decided, the statistics on tourist arrivals for the first four months of this year showed an obvious increase in foreign tourists in Sabah and they included those from western countries," he said.
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Meanwhile, Masidi who is also Minister in charge of education in the State hopes there would be a significant changes in all education-related aspects in Sabah with the new line-up in Federal Cabinet and renewed mandate given to the Barisan Nasional (BN) during the 13th General Election. He was pleased to note positive changes at the Education Ministry level as seen with the Ministry now holding its meet-the-client session in Sabah. "The Ministry has chosen to hold the session in Sabah this time around not only because of invitation by the State Education Department but also a kind of guarantee that the Federal Government, after getting a fresh mandate during the GE13, would give more focus to the education issues and problems in Sabah," said Masidi. "At the same time, this also provides opportunities to the stakeholders or clients of the Ministry in Sabah to get direct information as well as give their respective feedback," he added. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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