Sabah reaped over RM4.7b from tourism last year

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah reaped over RM4.7 billion in tourism receipts last year, accounting for 14.8 per cent of the State's GDP.

Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Chairman Tengku Datuk Dr D.Z. Adlin in his presentation at the first Surveyors' Congress organised by the Institution of Malaysia (ISM) Sabah branch, said the State has already enjoyed above average growth of 22 per cent per annum.

"This is far exceeding that of Malaysia as a whole in the last 10 years."

He said total arrivals of just over 400,000 in 1998 significantly increased five-fold to 2.48 million (60pc domestic, 40pc international) last year, which accounted for the yield surpassing the RM3.2 billion estimated for 2007.

The average per capita tourism receipt for international tourists is RM2,500 (domestic RM1,500) and average length of stay was eight nights, nine days (domestic four nights, five days). Ninety-nine per cent of the tourists came by air while over 40pc were repeat visitors.

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