Dive in for the money

DIVE tourism is identified as a contributor to the national economy as divers are not just budget tourists, but a discerning lot, said Deputy Trade Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir at the Malaysia Dive Expo 2012 (Mide 2012) recently.

He pointed out that this tourism sub-sector attracts not only budget tourists, but also those willing to pay top dollars and stay at good hotels for seven to eight days a stretch.

“They are a discerning lot who are also keen about conservation. They do not litter or destroy the environment. They are the type of tourists that the country wants,” he said.

The country should keep abreast with the latest standards in the industry and dive equipment companies should consider the country as a manufacturing base.

“This is because Southeast Asia has numerous world-class dive sites and the Asean countries has 550 million people,” he added.

Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd also launched Ocean Tapestry, an underwater photography book by Imran Ahmad at the event.

This book is the first Asian production of the Edition Fifty Fathoms series in collaboration with series founder Dietmar W Fuchs and technical printing expertise from PNMB.

Sourced: nst.com