Feeding time for the monkeys at Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary.
SANDAKAN: Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary has been one of the must-visit places for tourists in Sandakan.
However, with the banning of tourists into Malaysia since the Movement Control Order (MCO) started on March 18, the sanctuary’s number of visitors has dropped drastically.
Sanctuary’s director, Michael Lee Hing Huat, said that when the sanctuary reopened on July 1, they had expected local visitors to come.
However, the response from locals was disappointing, he said.
Lee said to attract more visitors to the sanctuary, they decided to introduce promotional prices for the locals.
“From July 15 until Aug 31, we are offering RM10 entrance fee per local adult, RM5 for students, and free admission for children under 12 years old.
Visitors taking pictures at the sanctuary with the proboscis monkey in the background.
“However, the canteen will remain closed until further notice.
“We hope that this will attract the locals to visit our sanctuary, as we are heavily relying on local visitors to survive now,” he said.
Lee said that shuttle bus services that bring visitors from hotels in Sandakan had also stopped operating until tourists could start coming to Sandakan.
“Before the MCO, our visitors are mostly tourists from China, Hong Kong, and European countries. We had zero income since MCO started until we reopened on July 1.
“We have been applying for loans from the bank, and subsidy from the government just to ensure that we are able to pay our employees.
“During this difficult time, we hope that the locals would support local tourism, and support us,” he said.
The Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary offers a Proboscis monkeys observation spot for visitors who want to have a closer look at the monkeys.
The sanctuary is located at the centre of the mangrove forest along the coastal land near Samawang Village at Labuk Bay, here.