Thursday, March 01, 2012

Blueprint for lake tourism in Bakun within a year

BAKUN: The state government will come up with a blueprint for lake tourism in Bakun reservoir within a year.

Minister of Tourism Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg revealed this at the meet-the-people session at Uma Belor, Sungai Asap, here yesterday.

“We will come up with a comprehensive and holistic master plan to fully tap the vast potential of Bakun Reservoir.

“We hope when this master plan is implemented, it will not only benefit the tourist sector but also the local community,” said Abang Johari.

On the same issue, he revealed that he had discussed with MasWings Sdn Bhd to bring an amphibian aircraft to service lake tourist destinations at Bakun and Batang Ai reservoirs.

He said Maswings had agreed to modify their Twin Otter by installing floats on the aircraft.

“I have been to many countries, including the Maldives, where these amphibian aircrafts have successfully been used in their tourist industry,” said Abang Johari.

He argued that it cost much less to install floats on the aircraft than constructing a runway for both Bakun and Batang Ai reservoirs to provide access and connectivity for tourists.

On the overall master plan for Bakun reservoir, he reckoned the whole tourism industry for the area would only mature by 2020.

“As we know, apart from heavy and plantation industries, the government also stressed on the importance of tourism sector in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy’s (Score) development,” said Abang Johari.

He explained the tourism industry consisted of three main components, namely infrastructure, event management and tourist products.

Continue reading at: Blueprint for lake tourism in Bakun within a year
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