KOTA KINABALU: Sipadan Island remains the favourite dive spot for tourists with a waiting list that stretches up to seven months, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun said.
Masidi said the government had taken steps towards protecting the environment, including limiting the number of tourists to Mount Kinabalu and Sipadan Island.
“No matter how many tourists we have, we have to do something to prevent these flora and fauna from being affected.”
He added that the preservation of wildlife at Danum Valley was also being taken seriously by the government.
“In order to ensure the animals do not become victims of illegal poaching, the government has stopped all road upgrading projects,” he said at the opening ceremony of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dance festival here on Sunday.
The festival attracted more than 300 participants from higher learning institutions from Brunei, Sarawak and Kalimantan.
He also urged Sabahans to make an effort in conserving the environment as the environment and the tourism industry were interrelated.
“If our country does not do well in environmental protection and conservation, the tourism industry will not be able to thrive because the environment is the asset for the tourism industry.
“Although Sabah has vast natural resources, we still lag behind in its development,” Masidi added.