KOTA KINABALU: The protest staged by a group of tourist guides at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport late Saturday night is detrimental to the state’s already sensitive tourism industry.
“While I understand the frustration of some of the tour guides, but I think the manner in which that is handled should be done properly… in a manner that reflects the friendliness and the culture of Sabahans and the state,” Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said.
“What I am saying is that the way they did it at the airport is wrong. That is not the way Sabahans solve the problem and indirectly their action may have damaged the industry,” he said when asked to comment on the incident.
The tourist guides staged the protest which Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia state director Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar said was based on the claim that illegal tour guides from China were conducting tours in Sabah.
Masidi, who was met at the state Education Department’s Hari Raya 2017 open house and ‘Majlis Perjumpaan Ketua Menteri Sabah bersama Warga Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sabah’ here yesterday, said this when asked to comment on the case which occurred on July 15.
He said that the tourism industry was a very sensitive one and Sabah had gone through a lot with the kidnappings, intrusion and earthquake.
“Even the disappearance of MH370 which has nothing to do with Sabah has affected us. Now if you think by highlighting it to the public and making people feel that we are unfriendly, I think is a wrong way to do that.
“We are trying to compete with the likes of Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and yet here we are trying to damage the industry that has provided us too many benefits. In fact our biggest competitor now in terms of new market is Vietnam and the Philippines.
“So we cannot afford to make mistakes. As everyone knows we have worked very very hard.. the ministry, Sabah Tourism Board and the state’s tourism players, all have worked very hard to capture the Chinese market and today, we are one of the biggest recipients of tourists from China,” he stressed.
Sabahans are known as cultured, friendly and harmonious people and they are known for their politeness, he said, adding that Sabahans can get angry without shouting at people and still their message is understood.
“These are the traits that make us special and I hope no one, whatever is the reason would want to take away all these special things about Sabah and damage the industry which we worked very very hard to build over the years.
“If there are problems, my office is always open for discussion and I know that this problem has been going on and I am sure that MOTAC has done its best but like in every industry, it is something that is very difficult to stem out totally.
“Once in a while this sort of problem crops up but we do not want a couple of incidents to spoil and damage the tourism industry in Sabah. In the end, if you do something that is interpreted as unfriendly to the tourists, and say the tourists end up boycotting Sabah, we will be killing the very industry that provides employment for us in the first place,” he said.
If the tourists stop coming, the tour guides will be out of a job so it is not the issue of whether they are right or wrong. It is the way that they manifest the frustration which he is of the opinion should be managed well.
“I would really advise everyone in the industry to be careful of what they do. It is not so much of what they are doing or what they have done is wrong or right, it is the manner in which the way we do it,” he said.
“You see the tourism industry is a very competitive one and it is also a very very sensitive one. Any act which is deemed or interpreted as unfriendly to the tourists can have repercussions on the tourism industry as a whole,” he stressed.
Asked whether those involved in the protest were indirectly sabotaging the industry, Masidi said no but that they were too short-sighted.
“I think we need to look beyond just one incident to see the full repercussions of our actions,” he said, adding that he would be leaving it to the licensing agency to see if the tourist guides’ action warranted any form of action.
He also said that the government, the agencies and the players need to sit down and work out a good solution to the issue.