The tourists provided a steady and healthy income for mountain guides who served to lead climbers, flocking to the mountain from other parts of the country and abroad.
However, all that changed when the pandemic kept climbers at bay, with the mountain popularly known as Aki Nabalu quiet for months on end
On March 5, when the Mount Kinabalu climbing gate reopened, things were not as lively as they once were, with the number of climbers greatly reduced.
The chairman of the Mount Kinabalu Guides Association (Pemangkina), Danson Bulangai, said that before the movement control order (MCO) was implemented, there were typically around 40 to 50 mountain guides on duty every day.
However, since the climbing gates reopened last month, the number was only between 13 and 20.
“There are 289 licensed mountain guides on Mount Kinabalu, but not all of them can work because the number of climbers is currently too small.
“What we are doing is making a schedule of tasks so that all mountain guides have the opportunity to get paid,” he told FMT.
Danson said the mountain guides received RM115 a trip. From the RM230 made for two trips, RM13 went towards the association’s fund.
He hopes the situation will return to normal because guides need income to support themselves, and do not want to rely on government assistance.
“We are grateful for the government’s concern for mountain guides and we have received assistance several times. However, the aid cannot last long.
“Hopefully, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout will accelerate the recovery of tourism activities, including at Mount Kinabalu, because we miss the excitement,” he said.
Taman Kinabalu manager Yassin Miki said although the number of climbers had reached 1,000 since the mountain reopened on March 5, that figure was still relatively low.
He said there were about 150 climbers every day before the pandemic.
“However, that number has dropped by more than half, with only around 20 to 50 climbers a day. The most, if I’m not mistaken, is 70.
“This could may be due to the inter-district ban, as the climbers at the moment are from zone one like those from Papar, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Kota Belud and Ranau,” he said.
Yassin said every climber must also comply with standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the health ministry. They must also undergo Covid-19 screening.