KOTA KINABALU: A tourism product called 'Go to Lepa Banggi' was launched on Tuesday (March 19) in an effort to attract more tourists to visit Kudat, located about a three-hour drive from the state capital.
It was launched by a business-networking body Yayasan Gulam Modal Insan (YGMI) during a ceremony at Sembulan here, where it was officiated by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam (pic) who is state Local Government and Housing Minister.
In a statement here, Joachim said he also witnessed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between YGMI and a China company Liaoning Northern International Travel Service Company Ltd during the event.
"I congratulate YGMI president Datuk Seri Gulam Tumai for this initiative and I am confident the cooperation between the two parties will increase the number of foreign visitors to this location, especially tourists from China.
"As we know, tourism is one of the industries that could improve the economy in Sabah ... Having more tourists in this state will also ensure more job opportunities for locals and reduce unemployment.
"This product focuses on Kudat which is rich with beautiful islands and its sea is apt. The Kudat district is also rich with Rungus ethnic culture," said Joachim in the statement.
He expressed hope that with such efforts, tourists were not only centred on Semporna or Kundasang and other popular destinations in Sabah, but also other districts like Kudat.
Meanwhile, representing the Chinese company was its board member Zhang Yun and also present Sabah Tourism Board senior marketing manager Josephine Chai and YGMI Group international tourism communications director Ben Ting.
