KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — The social media phenomenon around the closed Maybank branch on Jalan Pantai in Kota Kinabula, Sabah, has moved the local authority there to launch maintenance works in the general vicinity.

According to the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), its landscaping department has taken steps to remove wild growth in the Gaya Street area where Jalan Pantai was located, in collaboration with vendors from the Api-Api Night Market.

"The latest action taken under this operation was around Jalan Pantai, specifically the Maybank building, which recently attracted international tourists.

"This involved a team of 10 members before proceeding with tree pruning work around commercial premises in Sinsuran,” the DBKK said in a statement.

Despite already being closed, the Maybank branch on Jalan Pantai has inexplicably become a magnet for Chinese nationals holidaying in Kota Kinabalu, where they would pose for photographs they later post on social media.

The phenomenon has also caught on with locals, among them AirAsia co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes who visited the spot for photographs there during a trip to the Sabah capital.