KOTA KINABALU – Sabah is confident of registering more than 1.7 million tourist arrivals this year, based on upward trends since the reopening of borders after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state registered a total of 792,899 visitor arrivals from January to April this year.
This comprised 565,424 domestic and 227,475 international visitors, marking a 94.1% increase compared to 408,530 for the corresponding period last year.
“This bodes well for Sabah as we continue to push for more air connectivity into Sabah to add to the current 100 weekly international flights,” he said at the federal Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry Programme with the Community at the sports complex here.
Hajiji said the state government strives to develop the tourism sector by upgrading basic tourism facilities for the convenience and safety of tourists as well as developing and upskilling community-based tourism (CoBT) operators.
He said the state government gives priority to CoBT and wants it to be expanded throughout the state so that more operators in rural areas would benefit from the economic opportunities.
In 2019, two pilot CoBT projects in Kiulu, Tuaran and Kadamaian, Kota Belud had performed exceptionally well, with Kiulu generating RM5.45 million in revenue, attracting 54,000 visitors, and creating 300 jobs.
The project in Kadamaian generated RM2.57 million in revenue, attracted 217,000 visitors, and created 251 jobs, Hajiji said.
CoBT has since been adopted in many districts in the state – including in the interior such as Keningau – which are a tourism haven for adventure, culture, environment, food, and history enthusiasts.
To support CoBT, the state government has allocated RM10 million under its Sabah New Deal initiative to repair basic tourism infrastructure in the rural areas, benefitting not only Keningau but also Nabawan, Tenom, and Tambunan.
“We are also proud because other states in Malaysia like Terengganu, Melaka, Sarawak, and Pahang have looked to Sabah to learn from our success in developing the rural tourism industry.
“We are confident that by 2030, Sabah will achieve the 80% Asean standard compliance target for CoBT in Sabah,” he said.
To date, Sabah has won various awards such as the Asean Community-Based Tourism Award, the Asean Homestay Award, the World Tourism Organisation Best Village Tourism, and the World Crafts Council Award of Excellence for Handicraft, Asia Pacific Region. – The Vibes, June 19, 2023
