Sabah Expects Drop In Japanese Tourist Arrivals

KOTA KINABALU (Bernama) - Sabah is expecting a drop in
the number of Japanese tourist arrivals this year following the earthquake and
tsunami twin disasters in Japan.

Sabah is an East Malaysia state.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said he
could not project a figure or percentage but added that the arrivals would be
lower than the annual 30,000 to 40,000.

"The country will be busy reconstructing. I believe they won't be in any
mood to take a holiday," he told reporters after the signing of a memorandum of
agreement (MoA) between private institutions of higher learning, here Tuesday.

However, he said, more aggressive efforts would be undertaken to bring in
tourists from other countries to compensate for the decline in the Japanese
sector.

On a non-governmental organisation's drive to push for removal of shark's
fin soup from the menu of eateries and restaurants here and to include sharks in
the list of protected species, Masidi said he would sit down with the NGO
concerned to discuss the issue.

"They have already contacted my office and my office is trying to set up an
appointment. I'll listen to them before making further comments.

"But I do agree. I think there is a need for us to relook the issue of
protecting the sharks. And, the first step is not to consume shark's fin," he
added.

He said his ministry had already initiated the "no shark's fin" menu at its
functions at hotels.

The Junior Chamber International (JCI) Tanjung Aru Branch last weekend made
the call in an effort to create awareness on the need to protect sharks and
discourage people from consuming shark's fin soup.