KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 ― Putrajaya can just look east to the Borneo states if it wishes to know more about setting up a tourism court in the peninsula, the Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) said today.

The association which is the professional body for lawyers in the state pointed out that both Sarawak and Sabah have “established a dedicated Tourism Court since 2015 to handle tourism cases of a criminal and civil nature”.

“Tourism cases can be resolved in a day and at the very least, the statements of the tourists could be recorded by the Court before they leave the state of Sarawak,” Liew Tang Chieh said in a statement on behalf of AAS president Leonard David Shim.

Liew who is AAS treasurer said the news was announced by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum back in January during his speech opening the legal year in Sibu and had been carried The Borneo Post, the island’s biggest newspaper.

He was responding to federal Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who yesterday said he supports the idea of having a tourism police team and further suggested setting up a Tourism Court nationwide to provide quick resolution to court cases involving tourists.

Liew said if tourists need legal advice, they can contact the AAS’s legal aid team in Sarawak headed by Saifunnizam Sam at tel: 082-448077.

A crisis management expert Bert van Walbeek told a tourism conference here earlier this week that Malaysia’s image as a travel destination had been dented by perceptions online of a high crime rate and conservatism.

He pointed to several websites carry such claims, including worldatlas.com that lists four cities in Malaysia as allegedly being among the most dangerous cities in Asia ― Kuala Lumpur(second), Petaling Jaya (third), Klang (fifth), and Johor Baru (10th).

van Walbeek suggested that Malaysia implement a hotline for tourists, a tourism crisis committee, a tourism emergency manual, a social media team to monitor crises, and a tourism police team.