Kota Kinabalu: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing says amendments to the Tourism Act are being prepared to strengthen the industry, including safeguarding tourist safety and curbing illegal operations.
He said some locals continued to lend their licences to foreign operators, warning that any mishap would damage the country’s reputation, especially as Sabah recorded 27 tourist deaths last year.
Tiong said weak security practices and the pursuit of quick profits had contributed to serious incidents, including illegal online sales of tourism products and molestation cases involving divers where investigations stalled due to insufficient evidence.
The issues were raised during the Sabah Tourism Industry Engagement session on Tuesday, where he urged closer cooperation between the Federal and State governments once the new State administration is formed.
He added that discussions on placing tourism under the concurrent list of the Federal Constitution would continue through a technical committee under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 mechanism.
