KOTA KINABALU: The growth in tourist arrivals per annum in Sabah is projected to be above 20 per cent in the next five years, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman.
“Our (Sabah) projection for 2010 is 3.4 million tourist arrivals, with tourism receipts exceeding RM6.5 billion and, in fact, Sabah Tourism Board’s (STB) target is to achieve one per cent of the US$2,000 billion world tourism receipts by 2020,” he said at the opening of the three-day First Commonwealth Sport Tourism Conference here yesterday.
Musa, who was represented by Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun, said last year, Sabah received 2.48 million visitors, representing a five-fold increase over the 1998’s figure of about 400,000.
He said significantly the number of international tourists approached the one million mark and some 40 per cent of tourist arrivals were repeat visitors, with average length of stay of eight nights and nine days.
Sabah’s reaped over RM4.7 billion in tourism receipts, surpassing the RM3.2 billion estimated for 2007 and accounting for 14.8 per cent of the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), said the Chief Minister.
According to Musa, in view of the impressive growth in tourism and the fact that Sabah had great potential to be a world class tourist destination given its abundant natural attractions, the government was targeting to make tourism the state’s main economic driver.
“Our focus is on sustainable tourism development, with high yield longer-staying tourists, and we have already taken pro-active steps to boost our tourism capabilities such as implementing our comprehensive long-term plans for hotel accommodation and for training and upgrading of skills of tourism personnel,” he said. He said the state government was already in discussion with renowned signature resorts to anchor new tourism products such as spa and wellness tourism in Kundasang and marine tourism on the islands.
Continue reading at: Sabah expects 20 per cent growth in tourist arrivals
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