Abg Jo: Bakun lake tourism not so soon

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A bird’s eye view of Bakun lake. Its many islands were created following the impoundment of Bakun Dam.

A bird’s eye view of Bakun lake. Its many islands were created following the impoundment of Bakun Dam.

KUCHING: Sarawak’s plan for lake tourism at Bakun hydro-electric dam area would probably take off only in the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).

Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg told The Borneo Post recently that for the coming 11MP, the state was most likely only going to lay the foundation and infrastructure for that form of tourism.

On the Pelagus Resort, he said there was no plan to revive the project. Instead, his ministry was waiting for the Baleh hydro-electric dam to be built and then tap its lake tourism potential.

He said his office was not keen on Pelagus Resort as it had failed to bring in the expected tourism dollars. In addition, the resort did not possess the potential to be turned into a big attraction.

“Presently, the environment there (Pelagus Resort) is not conducive for tourism, maybe, later. We will see how things go with (the proposed) Baleh Dam, which is not far from Pelagus Resort. “

On the Bakun tourism plan, Abang Johari said it had a high potential for lake tourism, with tourists hopping onto amphibious planes from the cities to get there.

“The State Planning Unit (SPU) has been brought into the picture, and at the moment, the lake tourism study (on Bakun) is still on.”

Abang Johari stressed that lake tourism in the state could not be rushed as basic infrastructure, such as those for the disposable of organic waste from ‘jelatong’ (floating houses on Bakun lake), must be there first.”

He added that to develop tourism in Bakun, the whole area needed to be split into zones.

“For instance, certain islands could be used for preservation by turning them into nurseries for biodiversity. That would become an attraction by itself.

“Other areas could be designated for fishing activities only, while the `jelatong’ could occupy a zone by itself.”

Asked for updates on Sarawak and Sabah acquiring MASwings from Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah), Abang Johari said there was a positive response from Khazanah three weeks ago.

“We are now in the midst of forming a committee to handle the negotiation. To us, the development is positive as long as negotiations are still ongoing. The main objection is taking over MASwings.

“So, we have to study the details, and a lot of negotiations are expected.”

On whether the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has impacted tourism, Abang Johari replied that the state did not suffer any set back following the introduction of GST last April 1.

On tourist arrivals, he said for the first four months of this year, the number of tourists visiting the state increased by eight per cent, when compared to the tally during the same period last year.

“It is quite a successful figure, and I think our tourism is on track.”