KOTA KINABALU: The government’s efforts to ensure that Sabah is a safe and secure tourism destination for international visitors has received the thumbs-up from China’s consul-general in Kota Kinabalu, Chen Pei Jie.
“We hope the efforts to enhance facilities and (other safety) measures (will prevent any accidents) in future.
“This is also to ensure tourists from China and other countries have a (safe trip) here,” she said in response to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA)’s special operation, dubbed ‘Ops Mengalum’, last week.
Last month, a catamaran with 28 Chinese tourists, including a child, en route to Mengalum island capsized. Four were found dead and four are still missing.
“The incident is a sad tragedy, but our people learned lessons from it.
“But I hope it will not affect tourism in Sabah… the state is beautiful and I love Sabah,” she said when met during a press conference here yesterday on the Hong-Kong movie “She Will Be Loved”, which is being filmed in the state for two weeks, starting last Thursday.
Meanwhile, the consul-general refuted claims that the catamaran victims purchased exceptionally-cheap tour packages and dealt with illegal operators.
“The tour packages they bought were through proper channels.
“None of (them knew that the Tanjung Aru) jetty used was illegal, nor that the boat had exceeded its loading capacity,” she said.
Chen added that the Chinese consulate here will continue to put up notices on their website dissuading visitors from subscribing to packages from illegal tour operators.