KOTA KINABALU: Tourists visiting Sabah have been advised to book their packages with tour operators registered under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew made the call following a drowning incident at Mengalum Snorkelling Point on May 11 involving Zhang Tian Long, a 34-year-old tourist from China.
"It is understood that the deceased and his wife Wang Cui Cui, 32, who were married recently, had purchased a Mengalum day tour from the Taobao App and were then handled by a local tour operator while holidaying in Sabah," she said in a statement.
Wang, a nurse, was waiting on Mengalum Beach for her husband to return from his snorkelling activity when the drowning happened in the middle of the sea.
Liew, who is on an official trip overseas, also emphasised the need for tourist boats to be well-stocked with life-saving equipment, such as life-jackets, first aid kits and cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment.
Yesterday (May 14), political secretary Vivien Lee — who represented Liew — and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) marketing manager Aboni Loong visited Zhang's wife at a hotel.
STB assured Wang that the agency under the state's Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry would do its best to render her assistance.
The duo then helped her contact a funeral parlour for documentation and funeral arrangements for Zhang.
Wang, who filed a police report on the incident, told Lee and Loong that she would initiate legal action against the ground handler.
