Winston Liaw
KOTA KINABALU: Tourists visiting Sabah should show respect for the multicultural and multi-religious composition of the country, said Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (SATTA) president Datuk Seri Winston Liaw.
According to him, the action of two tourists performing a dance while standing on the fence of Masjid Bandaraya in Likas was most inappropriate as the mosque is a holy place of worship.
Liaw, however, indicated that he was unsure whether the duo were handled by a tour company or were independent travellers. Nonetheless, he said SATTA is investigating into the matter while the Tourism and Culture Ministry (Motac) is also making effort to address the mosque’s concern.
“The tourism industry should create awareness to the public by putting up signs to inform the public on the do’s and don’ts, especially in places of worship.
“The signage should be multilingual since Chinese and Korean tourists account for more than 70 percent of international arrivals,” he said.
Furthermore, Liaw said the Sabah Tourist Guides Association should remind their members to inform tourists on what they can and cannot do during their stay in Sabah, along with a warning of severe punishment for serious offences.
If there is proof that tour agents did not stop the disrespectful act, they should get a warning from Motac.
“Motac can consider suspending their licence temporarily for a few months if repeated cases are reported against the same agent,” Liaw said.
On another note, Liaw urged SATTA members or the public to avoid posting incidents that could negatively affect the State’s tourism image on the social media.
“These matters can be solved through the strong interaction between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government departments.”
Funholiday Tours and Travel managing director Connie Chong agreed with Liaw that tourists should show respect to Malaysia’s religions, culture and customs when visiting the country, especially places of worship.
“They should show respect as we are a Muslim country,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Liaw also announced that Shenzhen Airlines would be mounting its inaugural flight between Kota Kinabalu and Shenzhen on October 15 this year. The airline will fly four times weekly on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The Masjid Bandaraya management committee has decided to impose a temporary ban on all tourists visiting the mosque following the inappropriate act that has gone viral on the social media.
Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai said the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) is considering setting up signage at the mosque in three languages, namely, Mandarin, Malay and English, to inform the public against inappropriate acts at places of worship.
He said City Hall would contact the relevant tourism associations and the mosque’s management committee to ensure such incident would not recur.