Sabah expects over two million tourists in 2006

By YATIM TAUBATAL ANDAM

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah expects to receive more than two million tourists this year.

Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Karim Bujang said the estimate was based on the significant increase in tourist arrivals in 2005.

Some 1.5 million tourists visited Sabah between January and October last year, more than the 1.4 million recorded during the whole of 2004.

Karim said the state government through the ministry have carried out various promotions to attract tourists especially from Australia, China and countries in the Asian region.

He added that more comprehensive promotions would be organised during the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 to attract more tourists to the country, especially Sabah.

Karim also stressed the need for everyone including non-governmental organisations and those in the tourism industry to be courteous and friendly in effort to attract more tourists to the state.

“The people must support the government’s efforts in developing the tourism industry which is contributing towards economic development through the inflow of foreign exchange,” he said.

“And we must help realise the objectives of Visit Malaysia Year 2007,” he added.

Meanwhile, Karim said the Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan and Kuala Lumpur-Tawau flights operated by AirAsia would also help bring more tourists to Sabah.

Courtesy of New Sabah Times