Tawau’s importance is overlooked
Published on: Sunday, May 28, 2023
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As an alternative to flying, a significant number of travelers use ferry on a daily basis to reach Tarakan or Nunukan, a small town located in the north of Kalimantan, bordering Tawau.
Similar to other states in the peninsula, such as Penang and Melaka, are popular among Indonesians from Sumatra seeking medical treatment and studying at various tertiary institutions.
Tawau also possesses the necessary attributes to attract visitors, patients, and students from various towns in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and several islands in the southern part of the Philippines.
Kalimantan alone has a population of about 16 million, while Sulawesi and Mindanao are estimated to have populations of approximately 20 million and 27 million, respectively.
Currently, Tawau airport primarily serves domestic flights operated by three local airlines while there is currently no dedicated flight serving routes to the Philippines.
Malaysia airlines used to fly directly to Tarakan, Indonesia, the largest city of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan, along the coast of Tawau.
As an alternative to flying, a significant number of travelers use ferry on a daily basis to reach Tarakan or Nunukan, a small town located in the north of Kalimantan, bordering Tawau.
These passengers are mainly locals or individuals with business interests or relatives residing in various places in Kalimantan or Sulawesi.
A similar situation exists in other parts of the east coast of Sabah, where travelers go to various islands in the southern Philippines.
To illustrate how close these towns are to Tawau, a journey by ferry to Tarakan takes about 3.5 hours, while flying takes less than 30 minutes, covering a distance of 120 km.
I can see that there is a huge demand for direct flights serving the route from Tawau to major cities in Kalimantan and Sulawesi, such as Tarakan, Banjarmasin, Makassar, and Manado.
Furthermore, there is a considerable number of patients and students seeking medical treatment in private hospitals and studying in private institutions in Tawau.
Private healthcare providers and colleges should consider Tawau as their hub, providing the necessary healthcare and education services not only to the locals but also to foreigners from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Given the upcoming establishment of Indonesia's new administrative capital of Nusantara, it is an opportune time to develop Tawau as a hub for healthcare, education, and airports, capitalizing on the significant opportunities that will arise.
Y Yusup
- The views expressed here are the views of the writer Y Yusup and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express.
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