Friday, June 13, 2008

Benchmark for Sabah tourism quality soon


Kota Kinabalu: An eco-certification programme as advocated in the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) blueprint for the purpose of ensuring sustainable tourism development in the State, has got under way.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the programme is part of the benchmarks to be developed for accreditation to indicate quality and standards of State tourism products.

"For Sabah tourism development in particular, we should be guided by the conundrum that 'less is more' a fundamental precept of sustainable tourism development.

"We should be striving not only to increase tourist arrivals but to attract higher yielding and longer staying tourists," he said at the seminar "Sabah Tourism Industry Towards 2025: Strengthening Sabah Tourism Towards a Vibrant Premier Tourism Destination" at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa here Thursday.

This means Sabah also needs to tap markets which can generate the critical mass of higher paying visitors that contribute to its economy and also towards sustainable use and management of the State's resources.

The SDC blueprint launched by the Prime Minister in January this year, covering the period 2008 to 2025, emphasises the sustainable management of the State's resources while meeting and achieving various objectives to enhance the quality of life of the people.

Continue reading at: Benchmark for Sabah tourism quality soon

No comments: