'Explain safety issues to the China tourists'
Published on: Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah tourism players must do more to shore up confidence among Chinese travellers that the State is safe to visit if tourist arrivals are ever to return to the days before the MH370 episode and kidnapping incidents.Almost two years have passed since those dark chapters in Malaysian history but a tour leader from China says nothing much is still being done to bring back confidence in Sabah.According to Shangpin Tour Centre's Chengdu branch General Manager, Jason Liang, there was about a 50 per cent drop in China tourists visiting Sabah compared to 2013 before these incidents.
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"And there was a 30 per cent drop in China tourists visiting Sabah during Chinese New Year this year compared to the number last year," he said illustrating his point about dwelling on security aspects during promotional campaigns in China.Up till now, the security aspects of Sabah, especially steps taken after those incidents, have never been mentioned to the people in China, he said.The Chinese, he said, know about the beautiful places (islands) and the delicious food (seafood) in Sabah because they have been visiting Sabah the past several years. "The Chinese don't have any problems with Sabah but now, they prefer to visit the West Coast as well as the islands nearby … they will not go further to Tawau or Semporna," he said, adding that statistics showed the highest number of China tourists visiting Sabah was in the year 2013.
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"It has been two years now and the Chinese people tend to forget about the beauty of Sabah and we need to remind them. Therefore, I hope that the parties concerned will explain more about the safety issues in the State to them (Chinese)."I believe that if we keep on promoting, it will definitely help to boost the State's tourism especially the China market."
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Liang said this in conjunction with the visit of Zhongshan Broadcasting and Television host Jessica Zhang Shu Jun to promote Sabah cuisine in China. Zhongshan Broadcasting and Television, the main channel television station which covers the whole territory of Zhongshan and most cities and counties in the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Region, brought 188 China tourists to visit Sabah in conjunction with its food tour. "We hope to promote Sabah among the Chinese and spread the beauty of Sabah as well as the delicious local cuisine to our friends," said Zhang."I have visited Malaysia in the past but this is my first time in Sabah and yesterday when we visited the islands and beaches, it was magic… it's really beautiful," she added.One of the tourists, Zhang Weijian who participated in the programme also complimented the good food and beautiful places Sabah has to offer to tourists."Sabah is safe…it has good food! The islands and beaches are beautiful… I will definitely come again and will share the beautiful experiences I have here with all my friends," she said.Zhongshan Broadcast and TV Station Photographer Xie Jianqi on the other hand also said that he enjoyed the good weather and beautiful places in Sabah.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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