Labuan Relies On 10 Icons Of Tourism To Lure More Tourists In 2014

LABUAN, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Labuan is relying on its 10 icons of tourism products, in preparation for Visit Malaysia 2014.

Labuan Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Nadzri Othman said the free-duty island had great potential in the tourism sector and continuous efforts were underway for further improvement.

He said the tourism products comprised principal assets which the island could offer to tourists, combined with every aspect of the tourism experience, from the time the tourist decided to travel until the end of the stint.

He said the most frequent types of assets were sun, sea and sand for resort tourism; reefs for snorkeling and diving; valleys and wetlands for nature, scenic and adventure tourism; cultural assets in the form of built environment (monuments, old cities); living heritage expressed in distinctive local customs and song, dance, art and handicrafts; and, museums which reflected the local cultural heritage or a wider global heritage.

The icons with local value-added are the beaches, islands and marine parks, sensational dive sites (ship wreckage), water village traditional living (homestay), Mystery Chimney (which has won an international accolade of the Green Apple Awards in London), World War II Memorial, Peace Park, Labuan Museum, duty-free shopping and glorious sunsets.

Labuan has recorded an increase in tourist arrival, though at a slow pace. Nadzri said to be acceptable as a development tool, tourism must generate economic benefits for a broad spectrum of the population.

The private sector requires profit on its investments. (The) Government s role is to create the policy framework that will encourage for-profit investments, in combination with incentives and regulatory frameworks that will ensure good economic returns to a broad range of beneficiaries from these investments and will conserve the cultural and environmental heritage, he added.

He said another essential element of the tourism product was physical security of the tourist and access to appropriate health services.
-bernama.