Tourist safety in Sabah needs urgent fix, says Tiong King Sing after uncovering serious enforcement lapses
He advised Sabah authorities to step up the necessary actions to enhance the state's tourism image.
'Following a two-day joint sea and land enforcement operation, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture held a meeting with the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and relevant enforcement agencies to address tourism safety issues, illegal operations and enforcement in Sabah.
'In that meeting, I raised several serious weaknesses regarding tourism safety in Sabah, where the safety of tourists is seen as insufficiently protected,' he said in a statement.
According to him, statistics showed between 2023 and July 2025, Sabah recorded several tourism-related accidents that caused multiple deaths and injuries.
'In 2023 alone, there were 14 incidents resulting in six deaths and nine injuries; in 2024, 11 incidents with nine deaths and 28 injuries; while in 2025, up to July, there were 23 incidents with two deaths and two injuries.
'These frequent accidents highlight weak safety management and regulatory oversight, which undermine travellers' confidence and damage Sabah's international tourism reputation,' he said.
Tiong said during the two-day operation, he personally led officers from the Tourism Licensing and Enforcement Division and Immigration Department, police and other agencies on inspections around Tawau.
He said the operation revealed widespread illegal practices, including overloaded tour buses without tour guides; foreigners renting local licences and operating behind the scenes; foreign divers working illegally; non-tourism vehicles carrying passengers; and boats operating with approval.
Other issues included alleged corruption in the Immigration Department, lax monitoring of resorts and homestays without insurance protection and unauthorised fee collection on certain islands. — The Borneo Post
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