BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: The Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is set to witness greater economic growth with improved air connectivity.
The area is now increasingly emerging as an economic region with good development potential, unlike 18 years ago, when BIMP-EAGA was established.
However, during each BIMP-EAGA ministerial meeting the limited air connectivity has been identified as a setback in the efforts to develop the area.
The matter was again brought up during BIMP-EAGA’s latest meeting in Cagayan De Oro, the Philippines in November 2011.
BIMP-EAGA leaders were optimistic that good air connectivity would serve as a catalyst for the region’s economic activities, especially in the tourism and trade sectors.
At the end of the BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting in Cagayan De Oro, the four nations agreed to look into ways to enhance aerial connectivity within the region.
Their consensus also included the initiative to extend the existing MoU with more destinations in the list, including those outside the BIMP-EAGA cooperation scope.
INAUGURAL FLIGHT
The consensus achieved enabled a Malaysian regional airline based in Sarawak, MASwings, to emerge as the first airline to connect entry points within BIMP-EAGA, with inaugural flights to Brunei and Indonesia.
Numerous parties felt that the flights were necessary and their introduction were timely.
Sabah’s Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Bolkiah Ismail noted improved air connectivity would also help boost trade and tourism activities and, indirectly, the ties between member states.
The MASwings’ flights to Brunei are contributing to this objective. Effective 6 Feb 2012, there are two daily flights between Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan and three weekly flights between Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan.
BIMP-EAGA THE BEST PLATFORM
Bolkiah noted that BIMP-EAGA is the best platform to strengthen bilateral trade ties between the neighbouring states, and to help bridge the economic divide among the member states in the region.
“This is the best connectivity mode not only for tourism but also other fields such as trade and investment. Therefore, the ministry will step up efforts to woo more tourists from Brunei by introducing more attractions, especially in towns and settlements along Sabah’s east coast,” he said to the Sabah and Sarawak media team that joined the inaugural flight to Bandar Seri Begawan.
Bolkiah pointed out the number of visitors from Brunei to Sabah increased from 34,000 in 2009 to 109,000 in 2011, an increase of 300 per cent, and served as a clear indicator that the improved aerial connectivity would help open new areas in both states.
COOPERATION
Sarawak’s Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who also joined in the inaugural flight to Bandar Seri Begawan, noted that MASwings has effectively enhanced cooperation between Malaysia and Brunei, based on the principle of sharing whatever resources both countries have.
“The cooperation among MASwings, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei and industry players could help promote ties between one another, apart from generating the economic ties through business, nature and resources for the benefit of both nations,” he said.
He noted that the flights would bring positive impact to other industries, including exploiting natural resources, apart from enhancing economic cooperation in the numerous economic sectors in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.
Brunei Tourism’s CEO Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed also welcomed MASwings’ initiative to roll out flights to Brunei from Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
He added that the flights had to continue, as they have helped to promote tourism activities among Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, and he provided the “Borneo Package” introduced in 2003 as a good example.
The people of Brunei would make use of the air services as long as the cost is satisfactory, Sheikh Jamaluddin said, adding that he was confident that the flights from Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan would increase in frequency and help enhance networking in tourism.
DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM
Established in 1994, the BIMP-EAGA is an important platform for stimulating economic development of member states who have been lagging in development by promoting trade, tourism and investment within the sub-region.
The BIMP-EAGA sub-region encompasses 57 million people with an area of 1.5 million square kilometres.
Regional cooperation transcends the whole of Brunei, 10 provinces of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya in Indonesia, and Sabah, Sarawak , and the Federal Territory of Labuan in Malaysia and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines.
MASwings started the Kuching-Pontianak (West Kalimantan) daily flights and the Tawau-Tarakan (East Kalimantan) three times per week effective 13 Feb 2012. –Bernama