KOTA KINABALU: Sandakan is being promoted as a tourism destination to high-end markets in the United States and Europe.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew yesterday said Sandakan was being promoted as the "Gateway to Nature and Wildlife".
"High-profile tourists are flown in by private jets to explore countries worldwide, and Sandakan has been chosen as their stopover destination in Malaysia.
"The Sabah Tourism Board has developed a booklet called 'Things to Do in The Districts of Sabah', which includes information on tourist attractions, tourism products, community-based tourism sites and historical places in Sabah districts, including Sandakan.
"The Sabah Tourism Board's website displays tourism information and events, including events at the Sandakan Memorial Park," she said at the state assembly sitting here.
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Liew said the ministry did not have data on the number of tourists who visited Sandakan, but it had arrival data at tourism areas in the district.
Last year, Turtle Islands park welcomed 1,090 local tourists and 3,384 foreign tourists, while the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre received 89,516 local and international visitors.
The Sugud Island Marine Conservation Area received 1,446 visitors, and there were 5,448 visitors at the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
Meanwhile, on the issue of monkey disturbances in Sandakan, Liew said the Wildlife Department had installed monkey traps to reduce the monkey population and established a monkey control team in affected areas.
"The number of monkeys captured and relocated in Sandakan from January last year to April this year is 57.
"My ministry, through the Wildlife Department, is drafting the Sabah Monkey Management Plan to address population management issues in Sandakan and Sabah."