Shafie (front, second right) at the launching of the Regatta Lami Lami 2019.
KOTA KINABALU: The State Government is in talks with a Korean company to develop cable car ride from the city to Pulau Gaya, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal.
He said the cable car would augur well with tourism development on the island.
He also explained that the cable car is a better alternative than constructing a bridge linking Pulau Gaya to the mainland because the volume of traffic entering the island would cause pollution.
Shafie said the Korean company had briefed the State Government twice on the project.
“They will be giving another briefing soon to determine how best we can realize the project.
“This (cable car) will make Pulau Gaya a destination for tourists,” he said when officiating at the Regatta Lami Lami 2019 on the island here yesterday.
Apart from the cable car ride, Shafie said there were also plans to build restaurants on Pulau Gaya, adding that further announcement would be made after the details were finalized.
On the other hand, he said the State Government would develop premises that served seafood along the coast in Kota Kinabalu.
He said doing so would help fishermen, especially those in Pulau Gaya, to market their seafood as well as attract seafood-loving tourists to Sabah.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Junz Wong said Regatta Lami Lami was a new tourism product in Kota Kinabalu that could be an attraction for tourists.
He said villagers of Pulau Gaya should seize the opportunities brought by the Visit Malaysia 2020 by offering products that could be sold as souvenirs.
At the same time, Junz, who is also Tanjung Aru assemblyman, urged the villagers to refrain from littering in effort to lure tourists to the island.