‘Sabah should also focus on the needs of tourists’: Jaujan
Published on: Thursday, May 25, 2023
By: Sherell Jeffrey
Jaujan also emphasised the importance of investing in technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Kota Kinabalu: Sulabayan Assemblyman Datuk Dr Jaujan Sambakong said Sabah should not solely focus on the number of visitors and the money they will bring in but also on the needs of those tourists as well.
“If we look at the figures, the tourism industry is one of the main contributors for Sabah,” he said when debating the Head of State’s Policy Speech.
ADVERTISEMENT He said data showed the number of tourist arrivals reached 1.73 million after the gateway to Sabah was reopened.
“The State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry targets 2.2 million tourist arrivals with a revenue of RM4 billion.
This sounds good on paper, but the tourists have not even arrived yet and we are already focused on getting the RM4 billion.
“We want visitors to come, but there are many things I have noticed that don’t satisfy their needs in terms of attractions.
ADVERTISEMENT Sabah’s natural beauty is the sole basis for its tourist business, yet despite its numerous intriguing sites, the State’s hotels are excessively pricey and the cost of activities like scuba diving in Sipadan is not standardised.
“Before we establish any goals for visitor numbers or money, we need to look at all these,” he said.
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“As an example, Kundasang’s natural beauty is much better when compared to Cameron Highlands.
Cameron Highlands does not have Mount Kinabalu, and Kundasang is much better in terms of temperature. However, Cameron Highlands today is among the world-class tourism destinations.
“Everything in Cameron Highlands, from its roads and infrastructure to its food and accommodation, is grown on it grounds; you won’t find any seafood or prawns on the menu.
“Look at Sipadan, we have one of the top world-class diving sites compared to Bali, but Bali is more well-known due to its infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.).
“These are the sorts of things we need to consider,” he said.
On agriculture, he said while cultivating Musang King durian is an important business in Sabah’s agricultural sector, many other crops in the State have just as much promise.
When I go to the market, the price of chilli can fetch RM35 per kilo, sometimes no stock, chilli has a huge potential for downstream product, similar to paddy and gaharu trees.
“When we talk about agriculture, livestock and fisheries, we need to have a research and development agency to conduct studies and look into how to develop the agriculture sector,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of investing in technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
When we advocate TVET, we are not just helping people get jobs or training them to become skilled workers; we’re also inspiring them to start their own businesses.
“We want to produce a generation with skills, and skills are important especially with Sabah heading towards an industrial State,” he said.
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