_0609.JPG "Big boatloads of tourists in Semporna is no longer a common sight these days. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Julia Chan")
SEMPORNA, Sept 6 — Once, Semporna’s waterfront was filled with the tinkling laughter of holidaymakers from far and near, but today, there is only the monotonous drone of motorboats and trawlers in its waters.
Missing are the giveaways of its previously booming tourist trade: pirate taxis offering rides, backpackers in board shorts looking for cheap diving deals, and local youngsters touting seashell necklaces to Westerners in halting English.
These and others have since dwindled, as though snatched away along with the victims of the kidnappings that have been rife in the vicinity of the coastal town on Sabah’s east coast.
Since last November, Sabah has seen near-monthly cases of abductions by Filipino militants targeting foreigners, primarily Chinese nationals.
While the federal tourism ministry has acknowledged the effects of the abductions by Filipino gunmen to the industry, the true impact is palpable in the doldrums now settling over Semporna.
Dive operators told Malay Mail Online that they are seeing dropoffs up to 50 per cent of regular trade, estimated to cost the industry up to RM100 million this year.
But for small stall owners, the fall in trade has been more devastating.
“Business has been bad and these days I don’t even know if I can buy dinner, “ said 57-year-old Daisy Nambi, a souvenir stall operator who supports her ailing husband and runs her household with her eldest son.
Local taxi driver Ham Jahid used to make the two-hour drive from Semporna to the Tawau airport thrice daily when tourists were pouring in, but said he is now lucky if he even gets one a day.
“I’ve had tourists arrive here, only to hear about the latest kidnapping, and then get on the next plane back. Not just once, mind you, a couple of times,” he said.
‘Perfect’ paradise lost
As the jump-off point to the underwater magnificence of Sipadan and Mabul, Semporna has always enjoyed vicarious attention, thanks to the turtles, shark and schooling fishes that populate the area.
The name Semporna is a derivative of “sempurna”, which means “perfect” in Malay. And while that may be apt to describe the idyllic 49 islands around its coast, fringed with white sandy beaches and clear blue waters, life in Semporna is now far from perfect.
The kidnapping of 21 hostages from Sipadan in 2000 thrust it in international spotlight, but Semporna still experienced a tourism boom with hotels, modern commercial shoplots, budget dive outfits mushrooming to cater to an increasing population of residents and tourists.
But the sudden spike in high-profile abductions is now threatening to undo the town’s reputation as a tourist hub.
This has also been exacerbated by last year’s Sulu incursion into nearby Lahad Datu, where some 200 gunmen sought to “reclaim” Sabah for the defunct Sulu Sultanate, which triggered a military conflict.
Today, Sabah’s tourism news is invariably of travel advisories from the US, British, New Zealand and Australian governments cautioning their citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to the east coast of the state.
China arrivals hardest hit
Travel agents, hotels and dive operators have reported cancellations in varying numbers, with those who rely on Chinese groups being affected more than the others.
“A lot of travellers perhaps don’t cancel their trips, they just reroute to Kota Kinabalu instead of spending time on the east coast,” said Borneo Divers Training Institute manager Jinnifer Missi, adding that business is slightly affected but not yet critical.
Semporna Resort Operators Association president Robert Lo said the dive resorts around Semporna have been hit by cancellations and Sabah’s dive industry as a whole stood to lose up to RM100 million this year.
“In August alone, we’ve had a 50 per cent cancellation (rate). As of September, the occupancy rate stands at not more than 50 per cent for the majority of the dive resorts here,” said Lo.
Lo, who is also owner of the Mabul Water Bungalows Resort where armed attackers killed one marine police officer and abducted another on July 12, said that his resort has a flow of tourists but occupancy now fluctuates when it used to be consistently high.
“Some operators are more affected than others, of course. There have been some complaints from other members. Those that rely on big Chinese groups will probably have to contend with smaller groups,” he said.
In July, Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce president Datuk Seri Gan Sau Wah said tourist arrivals to Semporna have plunged between 80 and 90 per cent after the kidnappings.
Gan, who is also Semporna Chinese Chamber of Commerce president, said tourists were now a rare sight in Semporna following the abductions.
“Businesses in Semporna had dropped by at least 40 per cent while developers were also facing difficulties in selling their housing and commercial properties in the east coast,” he said.
Up to April, a total of 76 flights and 8,913 bookings from China to Kota Kinabalu were cancelled. However, statistics from Sabah Tourism show the State is still on track in achieving its 3.6 million tourist target this year.
Curfew: Boon or bane?
As a response to the recent kidnappings, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) that was formed after the Lahad Datu incursion imposed a two-week dusk-to-dawn curfew on July 20; this has since been extended to the present.
The curfew begins some three nautical miles from shore and covers some 314,000 sq km from Tanjung Pandaras in Sandakan until part of Pulau Sebatik near Tawau.
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Tourists who do make it to Semporna said the curfew has made them feel safe, although some found the presence of armed security personnel on the beach disconcerting.
“It is a little strange to walk on a deserted beach and find army guys with shotguns. And there were a lot of policemen out at sea at night. It’s unusual but it wasn’t a deterrent to anything except for night dives, which is a huge shame, but it is understandable under the circumstances,” said Briton Thomas Mendes De Costa.
Canadian Chinese Brittany Tam felt that the heavy presence of military made her feel reassured walking around the island at night.
Lo said that the feedback received from his visitors was that they enjoyed what Semporna had to offer without hindrance or fear, and the fact that it was less congested made for more peaceful surroundings.
‘We shouldn’t be putting all our eggs in one basket’
Dive resorts and hotels here are working harder than ever to restore confidence among their travel agents overseas through a mix of persuasion, flexible packages and promotion rates.
“Retailers are feeling the pinch, not just in Semporna, but all over the state. We are doing everything we can to cushion the drop and we are not suffering yet as there are still tourists coming in,” said Sabah’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.
According to statistics from Sabah Tourism, Chinese tourists contributed about 38.8 per cent of 448,896 foreign tourist arrivals as of May this year, an 8.2 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Domestic tourist arrivals also increased by 8.9 per cent compared to last year with 904,676 as of May 2014.
To mitigate the reliance on Chinese tourists, Sabah has been participating in tourism and dive expos in various locales.
“I believe we shouldn’t be putting all our eggs in one basket and rely on the Chinese-speaking market. We are currently working on markets that have better air access, like the West Coast of US. For instance, San Francisco has direct flights to HK and Seoul, and those cities are really close to us,” Masidi said.
As Sabah’s third largest income-generating economy after agriculture and manufacturing, tourism is arguably its most important sector with 80 per cent of its workers being locals.
Sabah’s tourism industry has proven resilient in the past. After the Lahad Datu intrusion last year, tourist arrivals reached a record high with the help of social media campaigns that saw the #SabahBounceBack hashtag trending on Twitter, for instance.
Only time will tell if Semporna and the rest of Sabah’s east coast will bounce back with such verve this time around, but the lure of its natural treasures such as its internationally-renowned islands, iconic wildlife and rainforests are likely too much to resist for long.
