KOTA KINABALU: Kapayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi is reminding the Federal Tourism and Culture Ministry to put their act together to ensure that the tourism industry in Sabah will remain vibrant and attractive.
He said the government had apparently felt that it could gain some RM6.5 billion receipts from tourism in 2014 but unfortunately could not foresee that the fatal and kidnapping incidents in the east coast would happen.
“Now it appears that the government has to work extra hard to achieve this target,” he said, adding the security issue appeared to have been addressed by the security personnel which was a very challenging one.
Dr Bosi also said that the problem of unlicensed tour operators, agents, guides and their transportation, if left unchecked, could bring down the tourism industry as well.
“I am glad to read in the newspapers that the ministry has sprung into action to check these operators and guides,” he said.
However, he lamented that the illegal vans are still very much in the business and far below the industry’s expectations.
Dr Bosi felt that the ministry should go after these illegal operators rather than spending time checking on the legal operators for minor offences.
“I was informed that at their last operations, the ministry only managed to nab 10 illegal vans. This is a poor performance,” he said.
Continue reading at: Tourism Ministry urged to work extra hard for Sabah
..