KOTA KINABALU: April 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sabah tourism grew 17.7 per cent, with strategies to strengthen markets and prepare for Visit Sabah Year 2027 amid global challenges, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin in his winding-up speech at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The year 2026 began on a positive note, with tourist arrivals to Sabah showing stability and growth. In the first two months of this year, international tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 17.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East have directly impacted the global tourism landscape, particularly in terms of shifting travel patterns and rising operational costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Sabah, the heavy reliance on air transport \u2014 accounting for more than 90 per cent of both domestic and international tourist access \u2014 makes the sector highly vulnerable to global disruptions, including fuel price increases and reduced flight capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognising this, the ministry, together with the Sabah Tourism Board, initiated early intervention measures since March by reviewing promotional strategies, marketing approaches and market penetration efforts to ensure the industry remains resilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to uncertainties in long-haul markets, the ministry has shifted focus towards strengthening domestic and regional markets as a short- to medium-term strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tactical campaigns with airlines and digital platforms such as Klook, Trip.com and Agoda will be intensified to stimulate domestic demand. This aligns with federal government incentives under Budget 2026 encouraging Malaysians to travel domestically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a positive indicator, participation by the Sabah Tourism Board in the Matta Fair Kuala Lumpur in April generated nearly RM5 million in domestic tourism sales, reaffirming Sabah as a preferred destination among local travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focus is also being directed towards these two markets, which are relatively stable and high-potential. Strategic collaboration with airlines will be enhanced to increase flight frequency, expand routes and implement joint promotional campaigns to sustain tourist arrivals and support industry players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry will continue to support the involvement of the private sector, industry associations and local communities in organising tourism and cultural events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is essential to drive event-based tourism, enhance Sabah\u2019s appeal, stimulate tourist spending and generate economic spillover to local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government is aware of challenges faced by industry players, particularly in logistics, due to rising operational costs including fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government is currently gathering feedback and data from industry stakeholders to assess the actual impact and will consider appropriate forms of assistance to ensure business continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a strategic state government agenda that goes beyond tourism. It is designed as a catalyst for broad-based economic growth across sectors including hospitality, retail, local products, food and beverages, and logistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry is confident that this campaign will stimulate economic activity, create employment opportunities and strengthen the tourism ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A comprehensive and integrated action plan is being developed with the Sabah Tourism Board, focusing on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry will also engage airlines to strengthen connectivity and explore new partnerships, while continuing to support industry players in promotion, marketing and product development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The campaign will adopt a whole-of-government and whole-of-industry approach, involving all ministries, agencies and stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sabah\u2019s tourism strength lies in its natural beauty, rich biodiversity and unique cultural heritage. Environmental conservation is therefore not an option but a necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry remains committed to ensuring a balance between tourism development and environmental preservation through sustainable, inclusive and responsible approaches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KOTA KINABALU: April 30, 2026 Sabah tourism grew 17.7 per cent, with strategies to strengthen markets and prepare for Visit Sabah Year 2027 amid global challenges, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin in his winding-up speech at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting . Current Challenges in the tourism sector The year…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260427-WA0033.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holidaysabah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}