Datuk Christina Liew (2nd right) receiving a festive scroll from FCAS president Tan Sri Goh (on her right) and the God of Fortune (left) during the Lido Chinese New Year Night Market celebrations in Kota Kinabalu.
KOTA KINABALU: Efforts are underway to set up a five-star boutique resort on Pulau Manukan, one of the five islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park in waters off the state capital here.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew, in disclosing the plans, said they were working on the proposed development of Pulau Manukan that involved the construction of 40 individual chalets.
"The chalets will be located in various strategic locations on the island," she said when officiating at the Lido Chinese New Year Night Market organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) at Lido Square here.
"When completed, the boutique resort will help to boost high-end tourism on the island.
"It will also be promoted as a wedding destination. It will be able to compete with other popular sites in Asia," Liew said.
The project is expected to commence in the middle of this year, she added.
On the ongoing upgrading work for improving facilities at Layang Layang (2,744m) on Mount Kinabalu, Liew said the hostel project would be ready by May this year.
FCAS president Tan Sri TC Goh, in his speech earlier, said that Lido Square resembles a "Chinatown" in the eyes of the local Chinese community and native populace.
"The majority of Lido Square's customers are Chinese, who choose the venue for their marketing chores, and 80% of the shopkeepers are Chinese as well.
"And for the first time, the Chinese New Year Carnival (jointly organised by FCAS and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) was moved to Lido Square, further uplifting Lido as a place where the Chinese community gathers," he said.
According to Goh, Lido Square is the last remaining Chinese wet market in Kota Kinabalu, and its market area was larger in size than the one in Taman Foh Sang, Luyang.
"Moreover, the existing wet market in the Kota Kinabalu Central Market in the city centre has not been the first choice for local Chinese for many years," he added.
