Investments in troubled Sabah region dip
Sabah’s Tawau Division, which has been the site of the Philippine’s Royal Sulu Army’s ‘invasion’ in February and subsequently experienced a number of armed conflicts, is suffering from a severe impact on investment and tourism, the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) said.
The region’s largest town, Semporna, has lost more than 70 per cent in tourism and business investments since the incursion happened, SUCCC president Datuk Seri Panglima Gan Sau Wah said, as many foreign and domestic tourists had cancelled their reservations for hotel rooms and banquets in Semporna and shop lot purchases have been called off.
He said the incidents had great impact, particularly because the US, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan have advised their citizens against coming to Sabah.
Gan said that businessmen who initially wanted to invest, develop and acquire lands in the Semporna region have also changed their minds, thus prices of buildings and shop lots have dropped significantly.
Earlier in March, Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said that the Sulu conflict would not disrupt the overall business climate in Malaysia. Large palm oil and plantation companies have also said that they were “not too worried”.
Semporna is town of around 140,000 people popular among tourists for it scuba diving sites and its sizeable population of Bajau Laut, also known as Sea Gypsies, one of the few nomadic sea borne peoples of the world.
[caption id="attachment_7960" align="alignleft" width="150"] Semporna, known for its Sea Gypsy population of the Bajau Laut, has suffered a 70 per cent drop in tourism[/caption] Sabah's Tawau Division, which has been the site of the Philippine's Royal Sulu Army's 'invasion' in February and subsequently experienced a number of armed conflicts, is suffering from a severe impact on investment and tourism, the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) said. The region's largest town, Semporna, has lost more than 70 per cent in tourism and business investments since the incursion happened, SUCCC president Datuk Seri Panglima Gan Sau Wah said, as many...
Sabah’s Tawau Division, which has been the site of the Philippine’s Royal Sulu Army’s ‘invasion’ in February and subsequently experienced a number of armed conflicts, is suffering from a severe impact on investment and tourism, the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) said.
The region’s largest town, Semporna, has lost more than 70 per cent in tourism and business investments since the incursion happened, SUCCC president Datuk Seri Panglima Gan Sau Wah said, as many foreign and domestic tourists had cancelled their reservations for hotel rooms and banquets in Semporna and shop lot purchases have been called off.
He said the incidents had great impact, particularly because the US, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan have advised their citizens against coming to Sabah.
Gan said that businessmen who initially wanted to invest, develop and acquire lands in the Semporna region have also changed their minds, thus prices of buildings and shop lots have dropped significantly.
Earlier in March, Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said that the Sulu conflict would not disrupt the overall business climate in Malaysia. Large palm oil and plantation companies have also said that they were “not too worried”.
Semporna is town of around 140,000 people popular among tourists for it scuba diving sites and its sizeable population of Bajau Laut, also known as Sea Gypsies, one of the few nomadic sea borne peoples of the world.
