All tourists to Sabah are advised to book their tour packages with Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) registered tour operators.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew issued the call following a drowning case at Mengalum Snorkelling Point on May 11, involved a 34-year-old Chinese tourist, Zhang Tian Long.
“It is understood that the deceased and his wife Wang Cui Cui, 32, who were married recently, had purchased a Mengalum day tour from the Taobao App, and were then handled by a local tour operator while holidaying in Sabah,” she said in a statement.
Wang, a nurse, was waiting on the Mengalum Beach for her husband to return from his snorkelling leisure activity when the incident struck in the middle of the sea.
Liew, who is currently on an official trip overseas, also emphasised the need for tourist boats to be well-equipped with life-saving appliances, such as life-jackets, first aid kit, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) equipment in case of emergencies.
Liew’s Political Secretary Vivien Lee, who represented the Minister, and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Marketing Manager, Aboni Loong visited the wife of the deceased at a hotel where she was staying.
STB assured Wang that they would do its best to render assistance.
The duo assisted the wife in contacting the funeral parlour for documentation and funeral arrangements for the deceased.
A distraught Wang, who had filed a report on the incident at the police-station, told Lee and Loong that she would initiate legal action against the ground handler.
