KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment is in discussion with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu on providing safety information to Chinese tourists.
Assistant Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said the ministry was looking into providing safety information or things that needed to be taken into consideration in the form of short messaging service (SMS) for China tourists.
Pang said that when asked to comment on a China tourist, Feng Xiong Wei, 43, who drowned at Sapi Island on February 17. Feng was pulled out from the water by lifeguards about 100 metres from the shore around 2.40pm.
It is believed that the victim encontered difficulty when swimming in the water with his wife, daughter and other visitors during a swimming activity.
“We try to get that (SMS) done by providing certain information to Chinese tourists who come here, (such as) to always be careful and the things they need to take into consideration when they go swimming.”
Pang said many tourists from China come from places where they have not seen an ocean before.
As a result, he said some Chinese tourists could have misjudged the depth of water when they saw the clear water that might seem like a couple of feet deep.
The same goes to crossing the street, Pang said, whereby people in Malaysia look at the traffic on the right first, while people from China were the other way round, checking the traffic from the left then right.
Hence, Pang said the safety information notification was some of the steps the ministry was taking to ensure tourists who come to Sabah, either from China or elsewhere, could enjoy the State to the fullest.
Pang also said the ministry had improved the safety procedures for the people visiting the islands.
“Last year, we launched a guideline for Mantanani (island), whereby tourists and tour operators to Mantanani have to follow certain guidelines … tour guides have to be well trained, taking basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course, things like that.”
He said Sabah Parks had also improved their facilities and professionalism, especially on the islands, quite considerably.
Pang said accidents do happen, no matter how well prepared one is.
“Unfortunately, this one (Feng’s drowning) cost a life.
“My advice to all visitors coming to Sabah is to take precautions and follow the guideline and safety rules we have laid out for everybody to ensure they enjoy their holiday here, and that it will not turn into a tragic event like what happened in Sapi (Island) last week,” he said after officiating at a book launching ceremony here yesterday.