Go into tourism, Yahya urges Sabah co-ops
Published on: Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Co-operatives in Sabah, particularly the small and micro-sized ones, have been urged to venture into the tourism industry and its downstream activities that would generate their business growth.Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin said small-sized co-operatives that are mostly in rural areas have huge potential to be directly involved in the industry, especially in offering and promoting eco-tourism products."Rural areas in the State that are rich with biodiversity are among major assets that could generate economic activities to local co-operatives.
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"Among the eco-tourism products that such co-operatives can undertake are outdoor activities like scaling Mount Kinabalu, river rafting and jungle trekking."The rural co-operatives are also encouraged to go into operating homestays that are popular and in demand among tourists from oversea countries," he said.Yahya, who is also Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, said this at a training and professional talk programme on potentials of tourism and its downstream activities to spur the economy of the co-operative movement and promotion of training here on Tuesday.Co-operative College of Malaysia (MKM) Sabah Branch under the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry organised the programme for over 100 participants who are mostly members of co-operatives in Sabah.
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The programme was organised in line with the government aspiration to make co-operatives the third sector in the nation's economic development.Also present were MKM Sabah Deputy Director Jaibit Jaudin, Malaysia Co-operatives Commission Sabah Branch Director Umar Sarim bin Saidin and senior officials.
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Yahya said the tourism industry and its downstream activities have vast scopes but have yet to be explored especially by co-operatives in the State.With a total of 1,276 co-operatives and total assets of RM693.5 million, Yahya said they should be proactive to grab the golden opportunity and collaborate with the private sector that provide the tourism and eco-tourism products.He said the co-operatives can work together with travel and tour operators to provide tourist guides and transportation as well as the local communities in the rural areas to serve local delicacies and traditional food and cultural performances."The tourism sector and its downstream activities are capable of providing job opportunities to the society and bringing in income to individuals and co-operatives."Therefore, the tourism field has been identified as among the country's main sources of revenue that could further raise the roles of co-operatives in achieving the country's gross domestic growth of RM50 billion by 2020," he said.Yahya said a change in the nation's economic landscape needs the co-operatives movement to complement government efforts to make Malaysia as a high-income nation by 2020.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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