THE Lundu-Sematan area has great potentials to be developed into cross-border tourism. “The Biawak-Aruk and Telok Melano-Temajuk borders are entry and exit points for foreign tourists, especially those from Kalimantan, Indonesia,” said Tourism, Arts and Culture Assistant Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting.
He was replying to a question by Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu (GPS-Tanjung Datu) in the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.
Ting revealed that the short-term plans to develop tourist attractions at Lundu-Sematan included upgrading facilities such as public toilets, changing rooms, carparks, signboards, barbeque spots, stalls for selling local goods, and also efforts to beautify the landscape at the local beach.
“We also aim to prepare a landmark attraction at Telok Melano as the western tip of Borneo, develop centres for Lundu-Sematan entrepreneurs and train local tourist hosts or guides (community location guide) within the residents of Kampung Telok Melano,” he said.
He added that more short-term plans such as handicrafts training, exposure to fishing and handling of local foods, homestay programmes, and local and cross-border sporting events and festivals were being planned.
The assistant minister revealed that his ministry would continue to expand homestays in Lundu-Sematan including giving training to participants to ensure the quality of products can be maintained.
“Homestay programmes are a unique product of tourism involving the community and have potential to boost incomes of rural residents,” he explained, adding that thus far there have been three homestays registered under the ministry – Homestay Telok Melano, Homestay Pueh, and Homestay Tanah Hitam.
According to Ting, the ministry was currently involving the local community in efforts to develop Sarawak’s tourism sector particularly in the Lundu-Sematan, and it would continue to do so.
“These efforts include tourism awareness programmes, handicraft skill trainings, turtle rehabilitation centres, fishing and diving activities, homestays, promotion of unique local foods, empowering the agro-tourism industry, as well as local and cross-border sporting events and festivals,” he elaborated.
He also said that the Lundu-Sematan area has well-known tourist attractions such as Tanjung Datu National Park, Gunung Gading National Park, Sematan Beach, Pugu Beach, Pulau Satang, among others.
