Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd Managing Director Ng Kiat Min revealed that after the general cargo port operation is relocated to Sapangar Bay, Suria Group will then be undertaking the construction of a dedicated international cruise terminal at Kota Kinabalu Port.

"That will serve as a marine gateway as well as a second entry point to the heart of the city.

Cruise Tourism is the 6th Entry Point Project ("EPP") under the Tourism National Key Economic Area (NKEA) which intends to improve Malaysia's competitiveness as a cruise destination," she said at the company's Customer Appreciation Dinner.

According to her, Kota Kinabalu Port has been identified as one of the three ports alongside Penang and Klang as having the potential to contribute significantly to the Malaysian cruise industry.

The dedicated cruise terminal at K.K will complement other SURIA Group developments such as Jesselton Quay and One Jesselton Waterfront.

"Together with the adjacent Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) and the KK Convention City, Kota Kinabalu will be a complete destination with world-class attractions, infrastructure, and leisure facilities."

In this respect, playing a major role as the catalyst for growth in Sabah, SURIA Group is honoured to be a part of the highly transformative development in the State. "The initiatives undertaken by the Group will contribute significant spin-offs to the economy. The people of Sabah in particular will stand to benefit through the creation of job opportunities from the Group's involvement in its development projects."

Looking towards the future, Ng said it is essential for Sabah Ports to find ways on how it can continuously add value.

"Therefore, effective stakeholder and user engagement will always remain fundamental for Sabah Ports' progression. This is evident in last year's launching of Customer Day, an avenue for port users to communicate with port personnel.

"Each year, we administer the customer satisfaction survey to hear customers' inputs and comments.

These channels have aided us towards knowing our customers better and understanding their business requirements," she said.

This year, there will be a survey of a larger percentage of customers so as to give a better gauge of how satisfied the customers are with Sabah Ports' services. "We appreciate good reviews and accept not so good reviews too.