Sabin (left) presented Abidin with a fruit basket during the launch of the Id Pogimpaan homestay.
KOTA KINABALU: Local fruit festivals will be held to draw in domestic and foreign tourists to visit several registered homestays here under the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), says its mayor.
Datuk Seri Dr Sabin Samitah said the four homestays were Desa Cinta Kobuni, Id Kalangadan, Darau Wetland, and most recently, Id Pogimpaan, which were all under DBKK’s Community-Based Tourism (CBT) initiative.
He said talks would be held soon between DBKK and several related agencies, including the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), to realise this plan.
“We see that holding fruit festivals in these areas can be a potential attraction for tourists to visit the homestays,” he said when launching the Id Pogimpaan homestay here on Saturday (Feb 17).
“For example, the Id Pogimpaan homestay area in Kampung Binaung Baru, Manggatal, is famous for its beautiful scenery and has an existing fruit farming area,” Sabin added.
DBKK will ensure the proposal can be implemented, he said.
He said the homestay possessed significant potential and opportunity to be developed as a source of additional income for the community and further contribute to the state’s economic development.
“The first homestay in the programme to be registered under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) was Desa Cinta Kobuni in 2017, followed by Id Kalangadan in 2020, Darau Wetland in 2022, and now, Id Pogimpaan in 2023.
Sabin advised homestay operators and committee members to focus on aspects of cleanliness and beauty in each homestay village, among others.
Also, present to launch the Id Pogimpaan homestay alongside the mayor was Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Abidin Madingkir.
