Miri needs all-out support to boost tourism sector — Mayor

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MIRI: The Miri City Council (MCC) needs support from all quarters in its effort to further push the tourism sector here to become the new economic driver for this ‘Resort City’.

Mayor Adam Yii said such aspiration would not be realised without participation from cityfolk themselves.

“The discovery of oil in Miri in 1910 led to its rapid development. Since then, the oil and gas industry has been the city’s major economic driver, followed by other major industries such as timber and oil palms.

“Although the city is blessed with rich resources and assets — both natural and cultural, such potential has to be explored more comprehensively. Thus, there is a need for us to really tap into this potential and turn it into marketable tourism products for the city,” he said when receiving a courtesy visit from the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Malaysia Senate delegation at MCC yesterday.

Yii pointed out that as this city was relatively new to the tourism industry, there were still many things the council needed to learn from others.

Thus, he said MCC would welcome any input and suggestion from any quarters on how to further boost this city with tourism activities.

On this note, he said members of the local JCI could play their role as ‘tourism ambassadors’ of the city.

“Tourism is among my key objectives in ensuring that this ‘Resort City’ further develop its tourism potential. It is my hope that Miri would one day be as vibrant and dynamic as Kota Kinabalu – if not better.”

Meanwhile, JCI Malaysia Senate 2016 national president Councillor Ernest Goh, who led the visiting delegation, said some 40 members of them were here for the two-day ‘JCI Malaysia Senate Conference 2016’, which kicked off yesterday.

Goh said various programmes had been lined up for the fellowship conference such as a tree planting campaign at Miri City Fan, a dinner event, forum, meeting and visits to places of interest across the city and nearby districts.

The visiting group included two JCI senators from Hokkaido, Sapporo (Japan); JCI Malaysia national president Datuk Terry Ong and former JCI Malaysia Senate national president Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh, who is also Putatan MP in Sabah.