KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is set to launch the Elephant Food Corridor as part of its continued focus on conservation next year.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the food corridor in Kinabatangan is ready to be launched early next year to reduce human-elephant conflicts in the east coast regions of the state.
Reflecting on her ministry's achievements in 2024, she said conservation efforts have always been a priority.
Liew said the Sabah Wildlife Department extended the sea turtle conservation programme for another five years through a memorandum of understanding with Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (FOSTER) on Libaran Island.
She also expects the proposed Sabah Cultural Complex in Kinarut to take off next year.
On tourism, Liew said her ministry, along with the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), has been successful in resuming international and domestic direct flights to Kota Kinabalu, which were discontinued due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
She noted that 10 new domestic and international routes, as well as nine resumed routes, were established this year.
"These efforts have greatly improved Sabah's connectivity to domestic and international destinations," she said.
She mentioned the launch of the 24/7 Careline Chatbot, an important initiative to ensure tourists' safety in the state.
"It is a digital tool specially designed by the Board to provide tourists with round-the-clock access to essential information and support," she added.
She said one of the events this year was the groundbreaking for the Tawau International Cultural Centre, and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced that two new tourism-related projects will commence next year.
The two proposed development projects include a resort with 30 chalets at Tawau Hills Park and a Tawau jetty to accommodate boats designed to ferry tourists from Tawau to the Semporna islands.
Liew is confident the recently launched Sabah Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah MM2H) programme will gain traction, and Sabah's successful MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) industry will grow significantly.
"The Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) hosted 1,428 main events (locally, state, regional, and international levels) in 2024, marking a notable growth compared to 1,301 events in 2023," she said.
