KOTA KINABALU: Lahad Datu, which is 403 km from here, is in need of a new and bigger airport to boost its tourism potential, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said.
He said this was because the existing airport could only accommodate and manage the operations of small aircraft, such as the ATR and Fokker.
“A lot needs to be done (to boost the tourism potential) in Lahad Datu. The runway at the existing airport, for example, can only accommodate small aircraft and not the bigger ones.
“Hence, I am proposing for the construction of a new airport to accommodate bigger aircraft which will bring in more tourists to Lahad Datu,” he told reporters after being interviewed on SabahFM radio here today.
The minister said Lahad Datu has numerous spots with vast potential to be turned into tourist destinations in Sabah, including the Danum Valley, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and the latest discovery of the iconic scuba diving known as the ‘Blue Hole’ or the ‘Blue Ring Reef’ at the pristine Darvel Bay.
“We will definitely promote Lahad Datu and those interesting places to be visited there,” he said.
In another development, Mohamaddin said the ongoing Borneo Textile Craft Festival at the Suria Sabah shopping centre targeted sales of over RM500,00 with the participation of 87 textile craftpreneurs from Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the 10-day festival, which began yesterday, is a platform to showcase the talents of young textile craftpreneurs from the two states, and to expand their marketing networks.
“The local textile craft products are indeed good and of high quality. That is why the price of some hand-drawn batik or hand-woven songket can reach tens of thousands of ringgit,” he added. – Bernama
