KOTA KINABALU, May 23 — Three Korean airlines will be mounting direct flights to Sabah starting from May 26 this year, said Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

Joniston, who is also the chairman of Sabah Tourism Board (STB), said Jin Air will be flying to Sabah twice weekly on Thursday and Sunday beginning May 26; and Air Busan twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday starting June 24.

Meanwhile, he said Jeju Air will commence its international flight to Sabah four times a week on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from June 29 onwards.

"Jin Air that is flying to Sabah on May 26 will be a full flight,” he said.

In total, he said the three Korean airlines will be flying to Sabah eight times per week.

Joniston said the resumption of the Korean flights to Sabah was the result of engagement session conducted with the airlines and travel companies in Seoul recently.

"The feedback we received in Seoul was that many Koreans cannot wait to visit Sabah, and many of them are repeat visitors.

"Hopefully more Korean tourists will be coming to Sabah,” he said in a preview of "Discover Kiulu” video clip here today.

He also said that AirAsia will commence flight from Manila to Sabah at the end of this month.

As of March, he said Sabah has recorded 3,100 international arrivals and 100,000 domestic tourists.

Malaysia has fully reopened its borders on April 1, this year.

On "Discover Kiulu”, Joniston said the video clip, which the Kiulu Tourism Association came up with, aims to promote Kiulu to domestic and international visitors.

He said the video will be shown in the second Asia Parks Congress and the soon-to-be-completed Kiulu Tourist Information Centre.

"We will make this video go viral on social media and hopefully woo domestic and international tourists to Kiulu.” He urged other tourist attractions or districts to come up with their own tourism promotional videos as well, especially those that are less known.

Joniston also thanked the government for selecting Kiulu as one of the models for rural tourism, besides Kadamaian.

He said Kiulu has a lot of tourism potential and the district had recorded over RM5 million in annual revenue before the pandemic.

"We have beautiful river, which is among the cleanest in Malaysia, and the close proximity to Kota Kinabalu is an added advantage.” On the other hand, Kiulu Tourism Association chairman Mejin Moginggow said the video was produced to promote Kiulu as the best rural tourism destination in Sabah.

"We have everything in Kiulu — beautiful river, mountains and friendly communities.

"In this two-minute video, we strive to promote Kiulu as a must-visit destination.” He added that the association currently has 65 members, most of whom are eco-tourism operators.

Also present were STB chief financial officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit, Kiulu Tourism Association deputy president Lasmen Lopog and Sabah film producer Chester Pang of Can Bah Production, who is the director of the video. — Borneo Post Online