KOTA BARU: There has been a significant rise in tourist arrivals on Sabah’s east coast following reviews of travel advisories by the United States, Japan and several other countries, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said China topped the list of tourist arrivals to the area, followed by European countries, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as East Asian countries, following the positive developments.
“We have been working on this for almost 13 years, and, with the situation now much more reassuring, we need to conduct the outreach programme to restore foreign countries’ confidence in the security situation,” he told reporters here yesterday.
The increase in tourist arrivals was seen among those travelling via the Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu and Kota Kinabalu-Tawau routes, as well as on direct flights to Tawau, he noted.
Saifuddin Nasution expressed hope that the approach taken would encourage other countries involved to review their travel advisories for their citizens.
“This is the third year since we started the programme, and several countries have indeed changed or revised their travel advisories for their citizens,” he said, reported Bernama.
Under the programme, foreign ambassadors and delegates were taken on a three-day, two-night visit to Sabah’s east coast to see the security situation for themselves and gain firsthand experience of the area.
The programme takes a direct approach to rebuilding international confidence in Sabah’s east coast by bringing these groups to assess the security situation firsthand, almost 13 years after the Lahad Datu incident.
Saifuddin Nasution said such efforts are crucial as the Lahad Datu incident had affected not only local communities but also Sabah’s east coast tourism potential.
He said the area has vast tourism potential, with its islands, beaches, rivers and forests contributing to the local economy.
Earlier, Saifuddin Nasution visited the family members of Kpl Mohamad Nur Hafiz Rahim at their home in Kampung Hutan Pasir, Ketereh, to extend his condolences and present them with assistance and contributions totalling RM200,000.
Mohamad Nur Hafiz and two other officers, Kpl Chiu Teck Siong, 40, and Konst Muhammad Raimi Ismarubee, 26, were fatally electrocuted at about 5.50pm last Thursday while moving a metal pole outside Weston police station near SK Weston, Beaufort, Sabah.
