KOTA KINABALU, Aug 5 — The curfew along Sabah’s restive east coast has helped restore tourist confidence in the area but the number of Chinese tourists are still depressed, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said today.
The curfew came in the wake of a spate of kidnappings in coastal parts of eastern Sabah. In the latest attack, one policeman was killed and another abducted from Mabul Water Bungalows in Semporna on July 12.
Masidi said that tourists are still going to the resorts along Sabah’s east coast and are reassured by the dusk-to-dawn curfew.
“I have received feedback from some tourists that they feel safer now with the presence of the enforcement authorities,” he told reporters here.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun announced on Sunday that the curfew, which started on July 19 and was to end on Saturday, had been extended until August 17.
The curfew covers three nautical miles from Sabah’s eastern shores to the international border with Indonesia and the Philippines. The attackers are believed to have come from restive parts of the southern Philippines.
Masidi acknowledged that the Chinese tourist market had dropped off despite continuous marketing and promotions.
“We have done expos and dive shows and our deputy minister makes visits every month,” said Masidi, adding that retailers in the city are also hit.
“But I am confident they will come back to Sabah soon. Meanwhile, we are aware now that we should be diversifying our markets and we are looking at developing new markets. There is no point putting all our eggs in one basket.
“We are looking at the west coast of the United States, like San Francisco, which has direct air connectivity to Seoul and Hong Kong and can link up with Aseana airlines,” he said.
