KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s tourism industry had its best year ever in 2016, achieving record tourist arrivals and tourism receipts despite headwinds, said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said Sabah received an all-time high of 3.43 million tourist arrivals and estimated RM7.25 billion for the state economy.
“International visitors alone saw a 15.4 per cent increase, with China visitors as the largest contributor, recording a 51.8 per cent increase compared to the year before. Australia despite having only one direct flight a week from Perth, saw an increase of 8.7 per cent.
“Over the period from July to September this year, I was informed that we are expecting to receive four charter flights flying from Incheon, Korea and one charter flight from Tokyo, Japan.
“This will contribute an additional 25,637 seats to the current numbers. Apart from charter flights, for the same period, China Southern Airlines is adding their frequency from two times to three times a week. Malindo Air is also adding their frequency from four flights a week to daily flights flying from Taiwan for the winter schedule,” he said.
Masidi said this in his speech during the launching of Sabah Rural Tourism Roadshow at Imago Shopping Mall yesterday, adding that Sabah’s previous best was in 2013, with over 3.38 million arrivals.
“Certainly our best products are the attractions on coastal areas as well as the preserved landscapes located in the interior. I do hope that this roadsow will give us all more ideas on the many untapped new attractions that are available around Sabah.
“We should consider this as an opening of new fresh markets for domestic and foreign tourists,” he added.
In tandem with the positive growth in Sabah’s tourism industry, where tourists are searching for new tourism products, Masidi said Sabah Tourism took the initiative to create an event where rural tourism products owners could engage with the tourism industry players as well as the public at large to showcase the availability of rural tourism products.
“Since 2014, Sabah Tourism Board has put tremendous effort on the rural tourism initiative in each district in Sabah.
Continue reading at: Sabah received record tourist arrivals in 2016
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