MANILA: Continuing his push to ban shark finning in Sabah, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun warned that the Philippines could surpass the state as a tourist destination unless the activity is banned here.
Mr Masidi explained that failure to protect shark species in the state’s waters could make Sabah less attractive for diving, an activity that is currently one of the state’s biggest draws.
“The potential in Southern Philippines for diving is great. They have among the highest marine biodiversity sites which will attract divers but there are security risks there. But Duterte is taking care of that now,” said Mr Masidi, referring to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on Southern Philippines militants.
“If we are not careful, and we do not solve this shark fin issue, we will let our neighbours overtake us,” he said. He said there was urgent need to find a solution as the diving industry brings in up to RM380 million (S$126.9 million) in tourism receipts every year and 80 per cent of divers expect or hope to see sharks.
Mr Masidi then pointed out that tourism was both a major source of revenue for the state and a source of employment for locals, saying that 90 per cent of workers in the industry were natives.
