Sabah is keen to tap into the Russian travel market to further boost the arrival of international tourists.
Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew stated that there are three weekly eight-hour flights via Airbus 330 from Moscow to Shanghai, which serves as a hub for international tourists travelling to destinations in Southeast Asia.
“I was informed that 70 per cent of the Russians who fly to Shanghai use the destination as a transit point for travel to parts of Southeast Asia.
“Sabah must capitalise on this travel trend to secure a fair share of the tourism market in the region.
“I understand that Russians love island holidays and wildlife such as bears. Sabah’s iconic wildlife, such as the Borneo pygmy elephant, orang utan, proboscis monkey, and sun bear, should be alluring to them,” Liew said after a business meeting with two representatives of Shanghai Airlines/China Eastern Airlines at a hotel on Thursday.
The representatives were Shulei Chen (China Eastern Airlines Vice General Manager, Revenue Management Department) and Jin Chengchu (China Eastern Airlines Vice General Manager, Sales and Marketing Department).
Liew, who was accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Josie Lai, directed the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Deputy CEO Tay Shu Lan and her team to study the tourism market in Russia.
“We want to diversify our target markets,” she said.
As it is, December marks the beginning of the winter season in Russia, lasting until February, with an increasing demand for getaway vacations.
Noting that temperatures could reach as low as -40 degrees Celsius, Liew wants Sabah to take advantage of Russians’ winter escape to Southeast Asia during this period.
Chen and Jin described the meeting with the Minister as a fruitful one.
“We are happy to exchange notes with (Datuk) Liew about bilateral tourism, and have been able to learn more about Sabah, as we have never been to this part of Malaysia,” they said.
On Liew’s invitation for the duo to visit Sabah, they said they anticipate visiting the state in the not-too-distant future.
“We will certainly find the time to come. All these years, we have been too busy with work commitments.
“Given that Shanghai now serves as a hub for international visitors travelling to Southeast Asia, I hope to bring tourists from all over the world to visit Sabah,” Chen told the Minister.
Shanghai Airlines is the 7th largest airline in the world. With a fleet of more than 790 aircraft, it can serve up to 3,200 international and domestic flights per day during peak seasons.
Meanwhile, the representatives of Shanghai/China Eastern Airlines were very positive about Liew’s proposal for Shanghai Airlines to increase its flight frequency from Shanghai to Kota Kinabalu from the current seven to 10 weekly flights.
“They are open to the suggestion to increase the flights during the next Chinese New Year season,” Liew said.
