Semporna District Council kicks into action after red notice warning

KOTA KINABALU: Determined to avoid a red notice, the Semporna District Council is working to ensure the tourism industry in the district will not be hit by a government advisory.

District Officer Alexander Liew said the financial effects will not only be felt by tourism players if the federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry issued the notice.

Liew said it will also affect other sectors, such as the transport industry as well as food and beverage operators.

“On the red notice warning from the ministry, we can’t point the finger at anyone. Every industry player must work together to overcome the problem,” he said.

He said this in his speech during an engagement session between local authorities and government agencies with tourism players in Semporna on Monday (Aug 21).

Among the actions being taken, Liew said, is to implement a clean-up in the district involving all stakeholders in a gotong-royong every month.

“We will also organise cleanliness competitions, issue closure notices to premises that failed to adhere to hygiene code as well as carry out recycling activities,” he said.

He said the changes proposed by the federal tourism ministry must be implemented to ensure Semporna continued to grow as a popular and preferred destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

“We are concerned that if change does not happen after complaints from tourists, the red notice will be issued, causing visitors to stop coming to the district.

“Hence, we (in Semporna) are not the only ones to lose out but also Sabah because Semporna is a top destination especially for tourists from China,” Liew said.

Last week, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing warned that he might be forced to issue a red notice against travel to Semporna following a food poisoning complaint by a tourist at a resort.

According to Tiong, besides cases of food poisoning, tourist complaints centred around poor hygiene, unsatisfactory cleanliness such as rubbish strewn in various places, pest infestation and poor hospitality services.

Subsequently, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the state has taken the appropriate measures, noting Sabah viewed Tiong’s warning seriously.

At the same engagement session earlier, Semporna health officer Dr Sahrol Nizam Abu Bakar told reporters their office had received only two complaints on tourists being afflicted with food poisoning in Semporna.

However, he said, these complaints, channeled to their office through the Public Complaints Management System (Sispaa), involved two domestic tourists who suffered diarrhea after leaving Semporna in May.

Their probe found these to be isolated cases, he said, adding there had been no complaints on foreign tourists affected by food poisoning more recently.