KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state government is taking the initiative to support requests from tourism companies to hire tour coordinators or translators from Korea.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the state currently has only eight Korean speaking tour guides, which is insufficient to accommodate the influx of Korean tourists to the state.
"While these Korean tourists may understand basic English, most prefer to communicate in their native language.
"This hiring is also subject to the government's requirement of a three-to-one ratio of local to foreign workers," said Liew, adding that tourism operators must also provide a local sit-in guide for every tour package conducted.
Liew said this during her winding-up speech during the State Legislative Assembly sitting.
Regarding the monopoly of tourism companies owned by foreigners, especially Koreans, she said in addition to the equity ownership limits for local and foreign shares, all tourism companies wishing to register must comply with the Tourism Act and the Companies Commission of Malaysia Act.
The issuance of permits for white or green tourist buses or excursion buses can only be granted to tourism companies registered with Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
As for the suggestion to monitor tourism companies, she said the ministry, together with the state Tourism Ministry and the police, randomly conducts inspections to ensure the operators are licensed.
Regarding the status of Sabah Malaysia My Second Home (SBH-MM2H), she said the Cabinet has reviewed and approved the criteria for applications last week.
"My ministry expects to accept applications for participation in the programme by the end of May.
"We are currently in the final preparation stages to ensure that the standard operating procedures (SOP) for this programme will be straightforward and adaptable by applicants," said Liew.
On the suggestion to lift the east coast of Sabah from the red zone travel advisory, she said the Tourism Ministry has presented its views to the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM).
She said the Sabah Tourism Board will conduct a working visit to Kuala Lumpur next month to meet with embassies of countries that have issued unfavorable travel advisories regarding the state and to assure them that Sabah is a safe destination for their citizens to visit.
