KETSA to improve quality, standards of tourism products under its purview

LUMUT: The quality and standards of tourism products under the purview of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KETSA) will be improved to add value and boost downstream economic activities, besides luring local and foreign tourists.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said it involved forest parks, national parks, geoparks and other ecotourism-related products nationwide.

As such, he said the ministry would work closely with various quarters such as the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) to improve the standards, quality and certification for the products.

"Yesterday, I have convened a meeting with the Malaysian Productivity Council (MPC) to revive all tourism products under the ministry's purview in order to increase their values.

"Geoparks, such as that in the Kinta Valley, Perak, for example, can be improved in terms of quality, standards and certification. I believe a lot of our products have higher values compared to other countries," he told reporters after launching the Mangrove Swamp Park restoration and conservation programme and the planting of 100 mangrove trees here today.

Also present was Manjung Municipal Council president Syamsul Hazeman Md Salleh.

On the national campaign launched in January to plant 100 million trees nationwide by 2025, the minister said over four million trees have been planted across the country so far and the number is increasing from time to time.

"Even though we aim to plant 100 million trees over the span of five years, or 20 million trees a year and have planted more than four million trees this year, we still can't be complacent," he said.

Meanwhile, Syamsul Hazeman said the mangrove swamp park was established as Moss Wall Garden in 1994 before being rebranded as Lumut Mangrove Swamp Park in 2006 with additional 365 metres of a scenic pathway and other facilities.

He said the rebranding of the park had given a new breath of life to the town as it indeed has its own specialities that provide a complete mangrove swamp ecosystem.

"It's not easy to find a mangrove swamp with a complete ecosystem in the middle of the town area and we hope that it will be able to lure more tourists to enjoy the uniqueness of the park," he added.

-- BERNAMA