MATTA WELCOMES MASIDI'S REAPPOINTMENT

CHAIRMAN of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Sabah KL Tan today welcomed the reappointment of Datuk Masidi Manjun as Minister in charge of Sabah’s tourism sector.

"With the reappointment of Datuk Masidi as the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, we can expect him to continue to support the conservation efforts and  continue to stand on the various issues  that affect the tourism industry and its sustainability," he said.

Tan said the tourism industry faced many challenges in recent years, from  economic crisis to disease epidemic, natural disasters  and suspension of direct flights amongst others. The most recent case was the intrusion of armed terrorists to Kg Tandua that  adversely impacted  the industry.

He said that the challenges and obstacles  were overcome in the best way possible with the help of the government and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment.

Tan also said that Datuk Masidi’s relentless efforts  in boosting tourism arrivals and foreign exchange earnings over the last few years shows his commitment towards the tourism industry in Sabah.

Last year, Sabah managed to achieve tourism arrivals numbering  2,875,761 million and a record tourism earnings of RM5,178 billion.

"Datuk Masidi has proven to be proactive in providing helpful assistance  and guidance for the private sector to overcome external challenges," he said.

Tan also hopes that the travel industry and  the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment will continue to work closely to further develop tourism in Sabah.

"I hope that we will continue to solve the problems that are inherent in the industry and move forward to establish more tourism infrastructure in the State to tap the tourism potential," he said. (Insight Sabah)