Liew waving to the crowd after presenting the first prize to Gandawani, the winner of the Traditional Lepa Category Competition.- Photo by JaPen Sabah
SEMPORNA: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said she will bring Semporna’s pressing tourism needs to the attention of the Federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
“Given its position as the gateway to world renowned dive spots such as Sipadan Island, we need to aggressively promote Semporna as a tourism hotspot in the national and international arenas,” she said.
She said towards this end, it is imperative that the Government upgrade the basic facilities (water and electricity supply) here and road infrastructure leading to the district from Tawau, not forgetting the need to beef up security for the safety of both domestic and international tourists.
“We must showcase Semporna’s unique culture to the world, characterised by exotic traditional costumes and dances. To lure more outside visitors to witness future regattas, it is vital to boost travellers’ confidence,” she told a press conference at the closing of the 28th Regatta Lepa Semporna last night.
Answering a reporter’s question, Liew said she would raise these concerns with the State and Federal Governments.
Meanwhile, Liew disclosed that as of September this year, Sabah has achieved 85.6pc of the target to reach 2.2 million visitor arrivals for 2023.
Citing statistics from the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Statistics Division, she said from January to September this year, Sabah received a total of 1,883,794 visitor arrivals.
“This figure registered an increase of 58.2pc against the same period from January to September 2022. This increase is attributed to improved air connectivity to Sabah and marketing campaigns by the STB,” Liew added.
