KOTA KINABALU: Sandakan will be receiving its first charter flight from China in June, this year.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the charter flight would be using the Boeing 737 aircraft.
He pointed out that in order to attract Chinese visitors to Sandakan, several requirements have to be met.
“They wanted a beach but there are no suitable beaches in Sandakan. So we are getting Berhala Island ready. Beach cleaning work will be taking place there. Sapi Island will also be cleaned. An allocation has been given for the purpose,” he said during a press conference at the 18th Malaysia Tourism Award at the Le Meridien yesterday.
He, however, declined to comment on the amount allocated to carry out the cleaning-up activities.
The minister also said that they will be promoting Sandakan as a haven for seafood lovers.
At the same time, he is encouraging eateries in Sabah not to hike up the prices of their menu up to the point that they may start losing customers.
“People have a choice where they want to go. If an ordinary eatery starts charging like the restaurants at hotels, then we might as well go to the hotels to eat…..I can understand that you want to make a profit, but whatever you do, you have to think of the long-term and not just the short-term profit,” he said.
During the interview, Masidi also spoke of the dearth of five-star hotel rooms in the state capital. He said this shortage had resulted in the unwillingness of Europeans to come here. Also affecting the European arrivals to Sabah were the travel advisories, he said.
Additionally, the price charged for an accommodation at these facilities is also expensive, he said.
“Now it is between RM500 to RM800 per room,” he said.
He urged hotel operators to maintain the prices of their rooms and not make it too expensive that they spoil the market.
He reminded that their customers comprise of not just international visitors but also domestic visitors from other parts of the country.
“Last year, we received two million domestic visitors and one million international visitors,” he said.
Meanwhile, the recipients for the 18th Malaysia Tourism Awards were Borneo Nature Tours (Best Tour Package: Luxury), All Borneo Connection Tours Sdn Bhd (Best Tour Package: Nature), Danum Valley (Best Tourist Attraction: Natural/Eco-Tourism/Agro Tourism), Mari Mari Cultural Village (Best Tourist Attraction: Culture & Heritage), National Park (Jury’s Award for Best Attraction), Borneo Rainforest Lodge (Best Hotel Services (three-star resort), Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort and Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort (Jury’s Award for Best Service Hotel (five-star resort)), Naan, Shangri-la’s Rasa Ria Resort (Best Indian Restaurant), Spice Island Sutera Harbour Resort (Jury’s Award for Best Indian Restaurant) and Coast Shangri-la’s Rasa Ria Resort for Best International Restaurant.