Sabah Registers Eight Per Cent Increase In Tourist Arrivals Up To June

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Sabah registered an eight per cent increase in tourist arrivals in the first six months of this year, recording 1,195,168 arrivals compared to 1,104,903 in the same period last year. International tourist arrivals recorded a higher growth of 23.5 per cent (372,672 arrivals) while domestic arrivals only grew at 2.4 per cent (822,496 arrivals), said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. "International arrivals by air increased by 15 per cent but if we count Indonesians and Filipinos arriving by boat/ferry, it will be 23.5 per cent. "We also noted that there was a good increase of Indonesians and Filipinos arriving by air, with arrivals by air from the Philippines increasing by 40 per cent and Indonesian arrivals by air increasing by 38 per cent for the first six months," he told reporters after opening the Sabah Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair on Friday.

Masidi said this was also attributed to the increased number of flights between Manila and Kota Kinabalu, and with more high-end Indonesians visiting the state. There was also a notable increase in tourists from Europe and Taiwan, he added. In the meantime, he said, the low growth in domestic tourism could be attributed to tourists still being cautious over the economic situation. "Nevertheless, we hope the recent announcement by Malaysia Airlines to select Kota Kinabalu as its eastern hub will contribute to more active tourism activities in Sabah," he said, adding that new direct routes were expected, such as to Perth, Australia.

Earlier, in his speech, Masidi reminded travel agents and tour operators here to be honest when doing business to ensure that Sabah's image was kept clean and said they would benefit through repeat customers in the long term. Masidi claimed that almost 90 per cent of the complaints received from international tourists was that they had been cheated or they did not get what they were promised, such as no refund if they cancelled their trip. "We will not tolerate cheats. We will come after you. We will not hesitate to recommend the cancellation of your licence if you feel you need to cheat," he warned.

The Matta Fair, which will be on until Sunday, showcases 50 booths consisting of travel operators, national tourism organisations and state tourism organisations, where more than 30 per cent are promoting domestic tourism, said Sabah chapter Matta chairman cum organising chairman K.L Tan. Matta Malaysia president Datuk Khalid Harun said this was the seventh Matta fair held this year out of the 12 fairs scheduled annually, and they tried to arrange one fair in a different state every month.