Gaya Interview
Putting Labuan on Travellers’ Maps -
Mr Mahathir bin Abdul Hamid, Director of Tourism, Culture and Arts, Labuan Corporation
Currently the Director of Tourism, Culture and Arts for Labuan
Corporation, Mr Mahathir bin Abdul Hamid has been serving the 044
department for 15 years, long enough to render him as one of the few
personalities with credibility to talk about tourism in Labuan. Gaya Travel
Magazine recently sat down with him at Labuan Bird Park to find out more about what Labuan can offer to travellers and tourists.
Mr Mahathir purposely arranged the interview to be held at Labuan Bird
Park – which is directly owned by the Malaysian government and managed by the Department of Veterinary Services – because it is one of the things
that make Labuan unique. The park has been in existence for over 22 years, making it among the oldest man-made attractions on the island.
Besides conserving and breeding various types of birds, the park offers the opportunity for public to interact and even feed the birds, ranging from
the extinct Storm’s stork that is now less than 500 in the whole world, to
rhinocerous hornbill and the African crowned crane. Once the indigenous birds are matured, they are released back into the wild at nearby Bukit Kubong and Kinabenuwa Mangrove Ecology Park. The park not only
enhances travellers’ experience in Labuan but also enriches the island’s
biodiversity. In early May 2019, Malaysia’s Ministry of Federal Territories agreed to allocate MYR1 million for the park to achieve its full potential.
