KOTA KINABALU, Oct 11 — Sabah is on track to exceed its tourism target of three million arrivals this year, according to the state’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Christina Liew.
The target was set last year after Sabah welcomed over 2.6 million tourists but has recorded 2.1 million arrivals up to August this year.
“We believe that by December, we will have more than three million arrivals, exceeding our target.
“I’m quite confident that we will aim for four million next year,” she said when speaking to reporters after launching the Xplore exhibition at the Sabah International Convention Centre today.
This year’s figures include 1,226,971 domestic tourists and 867,231 international visitors, representing a 26 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
“I attribute this positive growth to various factors, such as improved consumer confidence, enhanced air connectivity through strategic partnerships and collaborations with airlines, as well as marketing campaigns by the Sabah Tourism Board,” she said.
Tourism has generated approximately RM4.88 billion in revenue, marking an RM1.2 billion increase from the previous year.
The largest market comes from China, followed by Brunei and South Korea, with Singaporeans also comprising a significant portion of arrivals, surpassing pre-Covid numbers.
“The European region has shown a full recovery to 115 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The top five countries for arrivals are the UK and Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and France,” she noted.
Before the pandemic, Sabah achieved an all-time high of 4.19 million tourists in 2019.
Liew is optimistic about further international arrivals with new connections from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and more cities in Indonesia and China.
“I’m also hoping to expand our market by exploring opportunities in the Middle East and more of Europe during my trips to Abu Dhabi and London.
“One possible destination is Moscow. We want to tap into that market because, during the winter, it gets very cold there, but people there prefer warm weather.
“Many are currently holidaying in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Thailand, but they’ve never heard of Sabah, so I’m going to lead a team there,” she added.
