Kota Kinabalu: All potential tourists to Sabah are advised to secure their tour package(s) only with tour operators who are registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac).
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew gave the advice in the wake of a drowning incident at Mengalum Snorkelling Point on May 11, which involved a Chinese tourist, Zhang Tian Long, 34.
“It is understood that the deceased and his wife Wang Cui Cui, 32, who were married recently, had purchased a Mengalum day tour from the Taobao App, and were then handled by a local tour operator while holidaying in Sabah,” she said, Wednesday.
Wang, a nurse, was waiting on the Mengalum Beach for her husband to return from his snorkelling leisure activity when the incident happened in the middle of the sea.
SPONSORED CONTENT Electrifying windows of opportunity in Sabah - The right policies, collaborations, and strategies can turn emerging opportunities into victories for all parties in Sabah. CHIEF Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor’s 2021 Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya Plan and the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) have laid out a road map to an exciting future for all Sabahans, with a target of increasing Sabah’s income levels and GDP per capita from about RM 23,000 to about RM 40,000 by 2030. Read more Liew, who is currently on an official trip overseas, also emphasised the need for tourist boats to be well-equipped with life-saving appliances, such as life-jackets, first aid kit, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) equipment in case of emergencies.
On Tuesday, Political Secretary Vivien Lee, who represented the Minister, and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Marketing Manager Aboni Loong visited the wife of the deceased at a hotel where she was staying.
STB assured Wang that the agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment would do its best to render assistance.
The duo assisted the wife in contacting the funeral parlour for documentation and funeral arrangements for the deceased.
A distraught Wang, who had filed a report on the incident at the police station, told Lee and Loong that she would initiate legal action against the ground handler.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
