China Southern Airlines has agreed to extend its current double daily flights from Guangzhou to Kota Kinabalu under the existing Summer Schedule to the Winter Schedule (October 30, 2024 to March 2025).
Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Minister Christina Liew announced this following a business meeting with a delegation from China Southern Airlines, led by Deputy Director General and Senior Vice President of the Network Planning Division, Tan Guang, at a hotel on Wednesday.
“The key objectives of the meeting were to explore the possibility of increasing flight frequency from Guangzhou to Kota Kinabalu and expanding routes between China and Sabah.
“I am pleased with the positive decision made by China Southern Airlines.
“Apart from the Chinese New Year Festival, the winter season in China is also a peak travel period, during which Sabah becomes a popular destination,” she said.
China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in China, serves more than 600 routes worldwide.
Liew was accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Josie Lai Mei Sing, and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Tay Shu Lan, on her business trip to Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Explaining the rationale for the increased flights, Liew said Chinese arrivals represent the top international visitor segment in Sabah, with 262,070 arrivals in the first seven months of 2024.
This marks an impressive increase of 905.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2023 (26,054 arrivals).
“Chinese visitors account for 41 per cent of Sabah’s total international arrivals, underscoring the need for increased air capacity to meet growing demand,” she added.
According to Liew, figures from STB’s Research Division show that the 262,070 Chinese arrivals generated preliminary tourism receipts of RM1.0039 billion from January to July 2024.
The China Southern Airlines delegation also included Bu Ran, Director of the Flight Schedule Office in the Network Planning Division, Guo Hao, General Manager based in Kuala Lumpur, and Gary Zheng, Assistant Manager in the E-Commerce Department.
