A special task force has been set up to address critical issues in Semporna\u2019s tourism industry, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Semporna will serve as a model for restructuring the tourism sector across Sabah, focusing on licensing compliance, tourist safety and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKePKAS will not compromise with operators who fail to comply with the law. This involves safety, the state\u2019s image and the future of Sabah\u2019s tourism industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of 190 tourism premises identified in Semporna, only 46 have valid licences, prompting immediate action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry granted a three-month compliance period from January to March 2026. Enforcement operations have since begun against those who failed to comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The list of licensed operators has been published on the ministry\u2019s website for public reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only three jetties are now allowed for tourism operations: Bangau-Bangau, Seafest and Kapalai Resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis ensures tourist movements are properly recorded and helps in safety and rescue operations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lands and Surveys Department will assist operators seeking to regularise their status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enforcement patrols will also be stepped up to ensure all boat operators are licensed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Controls on high-risk activities, including diving at Sipadan Island, will be tightened with minimum experience requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jafry said issues in water villages have affected Semporna\u2019s image. Long-term measures, including possible relocation, are being studied to improve cleanliness and order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities will also act against the sale of protected wildlife, including turtles and pangolins, to tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged all agencies and industry players to carry out their responsibilities to ensure tourism remains a key contributor to Sabah\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A special task force has been set up to address critical issues in Semporna\u2019s tourism industry, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said. He said Semporna will serve as a model for restructuring the tourism sector across Sabah, focusing on licensing compliance, tourist safety and infrastructure. \u201cKePKAS will not compromise with operators who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260414_153425-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3946,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3945\/revisions\/3946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}