KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is stepping up efforts to attract more Chinese tourists ahead of Visit Sabah 2027, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said.
"China remains an important tourism market for Sabah.
"As we strengthen air connectivity, our destination marketing must also reach travellers through the platforms they use to discover and plan their holidays.
"More flights mean more visitors, and more visitors mean more opportunities for our tourism industry and local communities," he said.
During a week-long visit to China to promote the state and strengthen air links, Jafry and his delegation visited Chongqing, Guiyang, Anshun and Shanghai.
The
visit included meetings with airlines, tourism industry players, business
representatives, cultural groups and RedNote (Xiaohongshu).
Jafry said Chongqing Airlines operated three direct flights a week to Sabah, while more flights between Sabah and Shanghai would be available by year-end as China Eastern Airlines and Spring Airlines planned to increase their flight schedules.
As of press time, Kota Kinabalu also had direct scheduled air connectivity with several destinations in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as Hong Kong.
"A direct flight opens the door, but we must give people a reason to keep travelling.
"That is why we are bringing tourism, culture, music, media and business together.
"Better connectivity creates opportunities across our tourism industry, from hotels and tour operators to restaurants, attractions and local businesses," Jafry said.
He added that the Sabah delegation also promoted tourism, culture, music and industry exchanges, with Malaysian singer Shila Amzah taking part in the programme in Guiyang.
Visitors from China accounted for 578,681 of the 1.1 million international arrivals to Sabah in the first eight months of 2026, an increase of 21.6 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Sabah also sought to strengthen its digital presence in China, with more than 10 million searches related to the state recorded on RedNote.
Among the platform's popular Sabah-related searches were sunsets, mountains, seas and fresh seafood.
"This is a very encouraging indication for Sabah. The interest is already there, and our focus now is to turn that interest into actual visits.
"We want more Chinese travellers to experience Sabah for
themselves, from our spectacular sunsets and Mount Kinabalu to our islands,
fresh seafood, wildlife and diverse cultures."
-nst online.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.