Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said there is a lot of room for collaboration between Japan and Sabah in terms of tourism, environmental conservation and education.
She expressed her wish to see more Japanese tourists come to Malaysia and Sabah during a courtesy call by the Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, His Excellency Takahashi Katsuhiko, on Tuesday.
“We look forward to more direct flights from Japan to Sabah which has a lot more to offer tourists and visitors, apart from its natural beauty, diving paradise and wildlife such as the iconic orang-utan.
“We would like to invite our Japanese visitors to come and witness the Pesta Kaamatan celebration in Sabah this year,” Liew said.
On bilateral tourism, Takahashi said they can work together to promote Sabah in Japan while encouraging more Malaysians to visit his country.
“Sabah is very beautiful and endowed with abundant resources and tourism spots such as Mount Kinabalu, islands and hot-springs which are also found in Japan.
“One area that I look forward to enhancing (while I am here) is Japanese technology for environmental protection, given that Sabah produces energy, oil and gas,” the Ambassador said.
He believes that Japan can contribute positively in the area of coastal maintenance.
The Ambassador is keen on people to people exchange, saying he hopes Sabah can be a part of the existing student exchange between Japan and Malaysia.
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