By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Sept 6: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri requests all assemblymen and Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Sarawak to identify and promote at least 10 potential tourism products in their respective constituencies.
She said that the products are not limited to only tourism spots, but also inclusive of sports and events, history, food and culture that have the prospects of attracting visitors and boosting the economy in Sarawak.
“For example in Batu Kitang, YB Lo (Khere Chiang) today has introduced many aspirations to develop his area including the building of a waterfront along the river as a leisure spot for the people.
“We should be capitalising the areas beside the river and make the river as one of the products in promoting domestic tourism.
“After looking around, I think it’s time for us to go back to river taxi to encourage the local people and even tourists to enjoy the beautiful scenery that we have in Sarawak,” she said when attending the ‘Lan Berambeh’ programme visiting the Batu Kitang Waterfront at Sungai Sarawak Kiri today.
In stating this, she asserted that funding from the federal government for the purposes of developing tourism products in Sarawak alone has amounted up to RM100 million recently.
“The first rolling plan for 12th Malaysia Plan ended in March, but this is a five-year thing and then there is the 13th Malaysia Plan.
“All of the proposals will be added into our list and there will be another meeting to discuss the implementation of projects based on priority and the overall needs of the whole Malaysia for each year,” she said.
Adding on, Nancy reiterated the government’s initiation to develop the state by planning, discovering and finally setting up 10 more constituencies from 72 to 82 currently in Sarawak.
“This has happened because the government has the capability to accelerate the development of Sarawak by identifying new DUNs.
“This is so that the new areas could be given the opportunities to become tourism spots whereby the tourism industry contributes 15 per cent of the country’s revenue,” she said. —DayakDaily
