KOTA KINABALU: The tourism industry in Sabah should mostly benefit local companies and not be monopolised by foreign-owned firms.
Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Satta) chairman Datuk Seri Winston Liaw said there was space in the industry for all players, but at least 50 per cent of the workers and products utilised by tourism operators in Sabah should be locally sourced.
"Everyone should have a chance to participate and make a living in it, especially 95 per cent of tourism industry players in the state are Sabahans.
"It should not be monopolised by foreigners," said Liaw.
His comments come after reports of tourism companies owned by foreigners, especially from South Korea and China, pushing out local operators.
There have been complaints that foreign companies run by Koreans and Chinese has been dominating restaurants and tour bus operations in Sabah to cater for their countrymen, which had resulted in local businesses losing out.
"We can encourage foreign tourists to visit Sabah for the benefits of Sabahan operators and players, including local guides, tour buses, restaurants, shopping, food, souvenir, handicrafts and many more," said Liaw.
"Looking after the welfare of Sabahans is the key point," he said.
He urged the government to monitor licensed foreign operators.
"The government must make sure that at least 50 per cent of the services they provide should involve local manpower and products.
"Collection of taxes should be monitored closely, and Satta welcomes foreign operators in order to obtain mutual benefit from the tourism industry," he said.
Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit said recently that they were studying the spending patterns of South Korean tourists to mitigate the monopoly issue while welcoming them.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said that licensing was the purview of the federal government.
Foreign-owned tourism companies could operate if they had licences from the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, she added.