Miri beaches exhibit prospects for major tourism development — Minister

MIRI (March 9): The beaches here exhibit strong potential to be further developed into vibrant tourism destinations, capable of attracting visitors and becoming key business hubs.

According to Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Chiew Choon Man, the city’s long coastline provides a natural advantage that should be able to position it alongside other well-known coastal tourism destinations such as Kota Kinabalu, Port Dickson and Langkawi.

“Miri is a beautiful coastal city, and our beaches are wonderful places for people to take a stroll, relax and enjoy the sunset – among many other seaside activities.

“This said, proper management and maintenance of these beaches are important to ensure that they continue to grow as must-visit attractions.

“Enhancing their commercial value is also important, through the development of supporting amenities such as cafés, restaurants and retail outlets, as well as expansion of recreational offerings such as jet-skiing, snorkelling and banana boat rides.

“All these would further boost the attractiveness of our beaches,” said Chiew.

Adding on, Miri MP cited Coco Cabana as an example of successful tourist attraction here, back during its heyday several years ago before its closure for renovation.

“I sincerely hope that Coco Cabana would reopen one day.”

In this regard, Chiew had recently arranged a meeting with Samling Group of Companies executive director Datuk Adrian Ching, where the former highlighted the need of reopening Coco Cabana.

Chiew argued that reopening the place would provide Miri with another strong tourism product, especially in conjunction with the ongoing Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

In a related development, the deputy minister recently visited a new commercial development at the Bakam Beach area, which was nearing completion.

“This area features private outlets, cafés and restaurants as well as hostels.

“I would like to assure all that I strive to help boost tourism promotional efforts by connecting businesses there with the relevant agencies and stakeholders.

“I also commend our entrepreneurs for their initiatives in creating innovative, enjoyable and high-quality tourism products in Miri,” said Chiew.