Sabah is strengthening its position as a transport hub in Southeast Asia by stepping up destination marketing and increasing direct flights. Located in northern Borneo, the Malaysian state is anticipating increased visitor traffic given its strategic location in BIMP-EAGA and the proximity of Indonesia’s future national capital, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan.
Enhancing air connectivity is one of Sabah’s top priorities, said Sabah Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman. She said this is important to the continued growth of the tourism industry with more than 90% of visitors arriving by air. The tourism board participated in the Route Asia 2023 event in Chiang Mai, Thailand last week to expand its connections within the aviation sector and with other tourism-related agencies.
Currently, Sabah’s international entry points are via Singapore; Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam; Taipei,China; Hong Kong, China; Narita, Japan; Incheon and Busan, Republic of Korea; Manila, Philippines; and Bangkok, Thailand. Airlines with direct flights include Air Asia, Scoot, Royal Brunei, Malaysia Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, and Cebu Pacific. Jin Air launched the newest direct route, flying daily from Busan to Kota Kinabalu starting December 2022.
“While Sabah Tourism is working toward encouraging flight growth, we are also tripling our efforts to make Sabah a more visible destination,” said Othman. “This year alone, we have carried out promotional efforts in Europe and the Scandinavian regions.”
“As a business, we understand the value of targeting tourists from all over the world, including these areas,” she added. We intend to develop permanent ties with travel agents so they may inform their fellow residents or tourists about Sabah and the available direct flights if they travel to any destination that already has an established link with Sabah.”
Sabah is also well connected by domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Kota Bharu, Labuan, Penang, and Sarawak via Malaysia Airlines, MASWings, Air Asia, Batik Air, MyAirlines, and Firefly.
The state recorded 1,511,163 tourist visitors and RM2.73 billion in tourism receipts between January and November 2022. There were 1,300,729 domestic arrivals and 210,434 overseas arrivals.
BIMP-EAGA
