ID :
102833
Wed, 01/27/2010 - 10:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/102833
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LIMBANG HAS TOURISM POTENTIAL, LEVERAGE ON BRUNEI LINK - TOURISM MINISTER
By Kristy Inus
LIMBANG, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Limbang, located in north Sarawak, has great potential to be transformed into a centre for tourism, says Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen.
As its strategic geographical access to Brunei ensures a steady influx of
tourists from this neighbouring country, the people should leverage on this, she
said during a visit to the district Tuesday.
Dr Ng, who was attending the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010 in Brunei's
capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, took time out to visit the district's
Tedungan and Pandaruan checkpoints, which are the entry and exit points into
Brunei.
"The ministry will give support to the Limbang Tourism Masterplan developed
by the local authorities.
"Its town already has hotels, localised food and even a shopping mall. The
challenge is to get people to stay longer, and not just to pass by.
"That is the Limbang challenge," she said.
Introducing the Brunei Frequent Travellers Card, she said Bruneians who come
to Limbang regularly could use the card, instead of the passport, adding that
this was one way to generate more tourists.
Limbang, which is cut off from the rest of Sarawak's road network, is
accessible by air daily from the Miri and Kuching airports, and due to its good
road links to Brunei, travellers can reach Bandar Seri Begawan in two hours or
even through a 30-minute speedboat ride.
Limbang is said to be the biggest manufacturer of 'tahai' fish, which is a
local delicacy there. The smoked fish can be eaten raw or boiled with chili and
tamarind juice toppings, or even made as 'satay'.
The minister said the district could first get the hotels there registered
as
it was easier to promote them and hold events during low seasons, plus beautify
and make the town 'greener' with gardens and parks.
She added, Limbang should also have its own tourism calendar, and that
efforts to pull domestic tourists from Sabah and Peninsular must be intensified.
"It does not have to be new products, it can be products you already have
but you add value to it," she said.
But the Limbang community themselves, Dr Ng reminded, had to adopt the
'think tourism, talk tourism' motto to attract tourists.
Limbang District Resident Maria Hasman said Limbang currently held three
festivals.
They are Pesta Babulong, which is the Bisayah ethnic celebration, Pesta Erau
Aco which is a festival of the highlanders and Pesta Limbang which includes a
food fair.
Meanwhile, Tedungan head of immigration Wan Haladin Wan Bujang said the
Tedungan checkpoint was upgraded into a customs, immigration and quarantine
complex last year and was the busiest checkpoint in Sarawak.
He said they recorded 2.2 million traffic flow last year, a decrease
from 2.4 million previously because of the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak.
Dr Ng also visited the Limbang district immigration office where it issues
50 passports on average daily, and said to hold a record of processing a
passport as early as one hour.
-- BERNAMA
LIMBANG, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Limbang, located in north Sarawak, has great potential to be transformed into a centre for tourism, says Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen.
As its strategic geographical access to Brunei ensures a steady influx of
tourists from this neighbouring country, the people should leverage on this, she
said during a visit to the district Tuesday.
Dr Ng, who was attending the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010 in Brunei's
capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, took time out to visit the district's
Tedungan and Pandaruan checkpoints, which are the entry and exit points into
Brunei.
"The ministry will give support to the Limbang Tourism Masterplan developed
by the local authorities.
"Its town already has hotels, localised food and even a shopping mall. The
challenge is to get people to stay longer, and not just to pass by.
"That is the Limbang challenge," she said.
Introducing the Brunei Frequent Travellers Card, she said Bruneians who come
to Limbang regularly could use the card, instead of the passport, adding that
this was one way to generate more tourists.
Limbang, which is cut off from the rest of Sarawak's road network, is
accessible by air daily from the Miri and Kuching airports, and due to its good
road links to Brunei, travellers can reach Bandar Seri Begawan in two hours or
even through a 30-minute speedboat ride.
Limbang is said to be the biggest manufacturer of 'tahai' fish, which is a
local delicacy there. The smoked fish can be eaten raw or boiled with chili and
tamarind juice toppings, or even made as 'satay'.
The minister said the district could first get the hotels there registered
as
it was easier to promote them and hold events during low seasons, plus beautify
and make the town 'greener' with gardens and parks.
She added, Limbang should also have its own tourism calendar, and that
efforts to pull domestic tourists from Sabah and Peninsular must be intensified.
"It does not have to be new products, it can be products you already have
but you add value to it," she said.
But the Limbang community themselves, Dr Ng reminded, had to adopt the
'think tourism, talk tourism' motto to attract tourists.
Limbang District Resident Maria Hasman said Limbang currently held three
festivals.
They are Pesta Babulong, which is the Bisayah ethnic celebration, Pesta Erau
Aco which is a festival of the highlanders and Pesta Limbang which includes a
food fair.
Meanwhile, Tedungan head of immigration Wan Haladin Wan Bujang said the
Tedungan checkpoint was upgraded into a customs, immigration and quarantine
complex last year and was the busiest checkpoint in Sarawak.
He said they recorded 2.2 million traffic flow last year, a decrease
from 2.4 million previously because of the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak.
Dr Ng also visited the Limbang district immigration office where it issues
50 passports on average daily, and said to hold a record of processing a
passport as early as one hour.
-- BERNAMA
