By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism Board (STB) held its first meeting with local tourism players to gather feedback on challenges arising from fuel supply constraints and access to subsidies.
The meeting followed the recent establishment of the STB Crisis Response Unit to facilitate structured discussions with industry stakeholders.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who chaired the meeting at the STB office, said the feedback would be compiled and forwarded to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and subsequently to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living for further deliberation.
Joniston said STB plans to arrange a meeting between industry players and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The ongoing challenges have significantly affected operators of island resorts, boat transfer services and inland eco-tourism activities, as their applications for fuel subsidies have been unsuccessful despite multiple submissions.
They also called for a review of the current subsidised quota, saying the 200-litre daily cap for boat usage does not reflect actual operational needs in certain areas.
In destinations such as Semporna, a single boat transfer can take between 40 minutes and an hour, resulting in higher daily fuel consumption.
Operators of lodges and river cruises in areas such as Kinabatangan raised similar concerns over diesel supply shortages and quota limits, with some beginning to scale down operations.
Participants also urged the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living to consider operational realities in island areas, citing an example from Selingan Turtle Island where an operator provides fuel for generators to stationed security personnel at its own cost, increasing the operational burden.
Several operators said they are absorbing higher fuel costs to honour existing bookings made before recent price increases, limiting their ability to adjust package prices.
A hotel representative also sought clarification on whether fuel subsidies could be extended to city hotels for operational use such as laundry boilers following the recent electricity tariff increase.
Among the suggestions put forward were for relevant agencies to review data on registered tourism boats in Sabah to better assess actual fuel requirements, as well as to explore broader financial measures.
These include possible meetings with the Ministry of Finance on industry support similar to measures introduced during the Covid-19 period, and discussions with financial institutions on potential loan moratoriums.
Also present were STB deputy chairman Datuk Tan Kok Liang, chief strategic officer Humphrey Ginibun, and head of stakeholder and industry relations Halimah Hassan.
Joniston chairing the meeting.
