KOTA KINABALU: Last Wednesday’s abduction of two foreign women from a resort in Semporna will have a bigger impact on Sabah’s tourism industry than the missing MH370 where more than half the passengers were China nationals.
The latest abduction was barely four month after a Taiwanese male was killed and his wife kidnapped on November 15 while holidaying in Pom Pom island off Semporna..
The second abduction last Wednesday in the vicinity of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), which 10 districts including Semporna come under, has shaken the state’s tourism industry which was already reeling from cancellations following the MH370 crisis.
Said Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Pang Yuk Ming:” Eighty percent of tourists in Semporna come from China. Most of them are flexible independent travellers (FIT).
“With the missing MH370 incident, one resort operator in Semporna reported 600 booking cancellations. That was about 10 to 15 percent of his total bookings.”
With this latest incident Pang fears the worst. The Chinese market contributes 35% of international arrival to Sabah. Of the 1,49 million arrivals in Sabah last year, 360,000 were from China, said Pang.
He said the Chinese consulate in Kuching had advised tourists from China to take extra safety and preventive measures when visiting Sabah. He said the while the consular said that it was still safe to visit Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan, they advised against going to Semporna the other east coast areas and the island.
“I fear this will not only affect the arrival of tourists from China, but also from other countries such as Europe and the United States, particularly if other countries issued travel alerts on Sabah,” he said.
On Wednesday a 29-year-old Chinese tourist from Shanghai and a Filipino staff in Singahmata Reef Resort were kidnapped by armed men for ransom. According to reports the duo are safe and are being held captive in Simunul in southern Philippines.
Meanwhile commenting on Esscom, Pang said he hoped Prime Minister Najib Razak will prioritise security in Sabah and ensure the federal government gives its fullest cooperation to Esscom.
FMT Borneo Plus
The latest abduction was barely four month after a Taiwanese male was killed and his wife kidnapped on November 15 while holidaying in Pom Pom island off Semporna..
The second abduction last Wednesday in the vicinity of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), which 10 districts including Semporna come under, has shaken the state’s tourism industry which was already reeling from cancellations following the MH370 crisis.
Said Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Pang Yuk Ming:” Eighty percent of tourists in Semporna come from China. Most of them are flexible independent travellers (FIT).
“With the missing MH370 incident, one resort operator in Semporna reported 600 booking cancellations. That was about 10 to 15 percent of his total bookings.”
With this latest incident Pang fears the worst. The Chinese market contributes 35% of international arrival to Sabah. Of the 1,49 million arrivals in Sabah last year, 360,000 were from China, said Pang.
He said the Chinese consulate in Kuching had advised tourists from China to take extra safety and preventive measures when visiting Sabah. He said the while the consular said that it was still safe to visit Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan, they advised against going to Semporna the other east coast areas and the island.
“I fear this will not only affect the arrival of tourists from China, but also from other countries such as Europe and the United States, particularly if other countries issued travel alerts on Sabah,” he said.
On Wednesday a 29-year-old Chinese tourist from Shanghai and a Filipino staff in Singahmata Reef Resort were kidnapped by armed men for ransom. According to reports the duo are safe and are being held captive in Simunul in southern Philippines.
Meanwhile commenting on Esscom, Pang said he hoped Prime Minister Najib Razak will prioritise security in Sabah and ensure the federal government gives its fullest cooperation to Esscom.
FMT Borneo Plus
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