LAHAD DATU: Tourism Malaysia Sabah continues its efforts to raise consumers awareness on domestic products to reignite the industry.
The “Journey to the East Coast of Sabah” on Sept 20-24, to promote the lesser known attractions in Lahad Datu was their latest programme.
Its State Director, Ednie Rahma Ab Rahim said this year they are focusing on organising promotional activities with a hope to revive the industry which was badly impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are striving to create consumers awareness to Malaysians that Sabah have plenty of products to offer, both existing and lesser known ones.
“Sabah have many uniqueness and attractions to woo those in the peninsula, who are mostly know only Kota Kinabalu and Kundasang.
“We want the domestic visitors to see the less travelled parts of Lahad Datu instead of Danum Valley which is internationally well-known,” said Ednie.
Since the reopening of the international borders in April, she said Tourism Malaysia Sabah has been pushing to promote Sabah and Labuan ranging from their fresh seafood to birding and the wildlife in Kinabatangan.
“Our goal is to promote Sabah beyond Kota Kinabalu, and it is not limited to ecotourism but also in the areas of education, preservation and conservation of the environment,” she said.
During the sojourn to Lahad Datu, the media and social media influencers among others trekked to Gua Tepadung which have almost 100 small caves with different attractions and scenery.
The cave was a centre for the production of the white bird’s nests run by the Idahan community from generation to generation until now.
The programme also include a boat ride to Sakar Island to explore Irunji agrotourism and to Kampung Tabanak to see the demonstration and engagement in batik eco print activity.
Also in the itinerary was the visit to the blue ring reef to enjoy snorkeling, to see the scenic bird’s eye view of the Darvel Bay Islands and Lahad Datu town at the Tower of Heaven.
The entourage also visited Gudang Tembakau which produced the highest quality tobacco in the world during the British colonial period.-HS
