April 26, 2010 at 9:27 am
Preserving nature in Sarawak will determine the future success of the state’s tourism industry, says Tourism Malaysia director-general, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab.
He said Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has the right concept for future tourism in the state.
“If you listen to what he said about preserving nature so that ‘people appreciate what it really is instead of what people like to see’ is the right concept,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) meeting here on Saturday.
He said if the authorities implemented the concept in the manner that it was perceived, “I believe Sarawak’s position in tourism will only get stronger year after year.”
Mirza said the preservation of nature and how well the state maintained all its assets today would determine the success of the future tourism industry.
He said promoting tourism came in many different forms.
Holding PATA meeting in Sarawak, he said, would help the state, particularly Kuching, to let the association’s board members, who were influential people in their own field of tourism, to realise “how much we have progress.”
“I would like to complement the Sarawak Tourism Board and the Sarawak Tourism Ministry for their far-sightedness in establishing the Borneo Convention Centre and the international bidding to have more and more meetings here.
“This will not only help Sarawak but also the country to become a more popular place for meeting incentive for convention and exhibitions.
“The establishment of a convention centre like this enables us to host big international meetings and conferences,” he said.
Earlier, in his speech at the opening of PATA at the Borneo Convention Centre here today, Taib said, the state would improve and preserve the infrastructure of its historical buildings, forts and caves to sustain its tourism value.
He said infrastructure improvements, especially at the Mulu and Niah caves, would also involve protecting environmental factors.
“We will also preserve the flora and fauna in the state,” he said.
Source: Bernama