Resort to beef up Semporna next year

ICONIC: Artist impression of Semporna resort

THE Semporna waterfront of Sabah’s east coast is set to get multi-million holiday resort boost — with plans to develop water chalets, hotels and commercial properties there.

Sabah Economic Development Corporation (Sedco) had proposed to build the RM155.5 million holiday resort as part of its 10 major projects to accelerate economic development with focus on providing industrial infrastructure and creating new growth centres within Sabah.

The Semporna resort is to be undertaken by Sedco subsidiary Sabah Urban Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (SUDC) and construction is expected to start next year, said SUDC managing director Pengiran Saifuddin Pg Tahir.

“We expect to start works soon after obtaining the facilitation funds from the state government and hope to complete the project in three years,” he said at the investor roundtable debate hosted by The Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority in partnership with International Investor, a UK-based business intelligence and publishing organisation recently.

The resort will cater to the spillover effect from the existing market demand that exceeds the capacity of the world’s finest dive sites — the popular Mabul and Sipadan islands, he added.

In 2010, Semporna received 40,000 visitors, mostly for diving activities and contributed RM190 million to the country’s economy, according to the Sabah Development Corridor, Greater Kota Kinabalu guidebook.

It added that the resort is expected to generate RM53.2 million in gross national income and create 488 jobs by 2020.

The resort is part of the RM700 million integrated waterfront development on 16.59ha of reclaimed land from the town’s waterfront that is to be undertaken jointly by SUDC and a private partner.

It aims to transform Semporna into a thriving commercial, cultural and tourism hub — with major components to include hotels and resorts, a commercial centre with retail stores, a shopping mall, business and convention centre, exhibition centre, business suites, esplanade and marina with mooring facilities for yachts and leisure boats, a water theme park and fairground.

The other initiatives identified to serve as catalysts to establish Semporna as Borneo’s Marine Paradise are the Sipadan Mangrove Resort, Mount Conner Tourism Hub and Alorie Lepa Lepa.

SUDC’s role is to assist the state government implement development projects including building shophouses to help uplift the socio-economic status of Bumiputras via property ownership at competitive prices.