'If Visit Malaysia Year 2020 flops, Immigration could be held responsible’

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism players in the State fear the most recent in a series of detentions of four genuine Chinese tourists for 18 days in Tawau by the Immigration Department will have serious repercussions for the industry.

It said the department now risked being blamed if Visit Malaysia Year 2020 fails because of what happened in Sabah, considering the impact of social media.

“Chinese tourists back home are already flooding the Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu with questions of whether it is safe to visit Sabah.

“Both Korea and Hong Kong suffered a drastic 30 per cent decline in arrivals (in 2019) after they mistreated Chinese tourists who boycotted these two destinations,” its Chairman, Datuk Seri Winston Liaw (pic), told a press conference, Tuesday.

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The four female tourists who had since been released returned home, Monday, following intervention by Minister in the Prime Minister Department Datuk Liew Vui Khiong. They were detained for failing to get their passports stamped upon arrival in Tawau.

Liaw said during a dialogue between Satta and the Immigration Department, its Sabah Director Datuk Dr Muhamad Sade Mohamad Amin assured that the detention of Chinese tourists would be history.

“We must treat this incident seriously because Chinese tourists are very sensitive. Once you treat them badly, they will boycott you. Furthermore, 45 per cent of our international arrivals are Chinese tourists.

“And 95 per cent of Sabahans work in the hospitality industry. We will suffer a huge impact of unemployment and many establishments will have to fold up if the big spending Chinese tourists do not come,” Liaw warned.

Furthermore, he said, the Consul General of China in Kota Kinabalu had also expressed concern as the recent incident was not an isolated case. That altogether 20 Chinese holidaymakers were detained for similar offence.

On checking with his Indonesian and Bruneian counterparts, the Consul General found both their nationals have faced similar situations but were allowed to exit by paying “the penalty” to the Immigration Department “unlike Chinese tourists who were harshly handcuffed and led away by the scruff of their necks to the detention centres.”

If Visit Malaysia 2020 records negative performance, we will become a laughing stock as so many programmes have been put in place and ready to welcome the visitors.

“And who is to be blamed if we fail to achieve our target? Definitely everybody will point fingers at the Immigration Department,” said Liaw.

Malaysia Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Sabah Chapter Chairman Lawrence Wong, who echoed Satta concerns, urged the authorities to address the incident so that it would not become a diplomatic issue and affect friendly relations with China.

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“We view the incident seriously because the Consulate General of China in KK is concerned that its citizens have been treated indifferently by the department compared to other nationals,” he said.

Wong said the incident also highlighted a serious security flaw at Sabah’s airports as tourists can enter Sabah or transit without going through Immigration check.

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