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Tuaran: Ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026, Tourism Malaysia is offering 12 sites across Sabah as a niche segment for holiday makers due to surging demand in the camping and glamping market.

One of the sites is River Bay Beach, which saw nearly 300 campers from Sabah and a few from Brunei and Peninsular Malaysia who travelled one and a half hours from Kota Kinabalu to overnight there during the long weekend holidays in conjunction with the Sabah Day celebration recently.

“We are developing this into a niche segment like camping near the beach, the mountain and the highland,” said Tourism Malaysia Sabah Director Haryanty Abu Bakar when launching the ultimate outdoor event at River Bay Beach, here.

Other camping sites can be found in Kota Belud near Panataran and Wariu Rivers, Nohuto Eco Tourism, Polumpang Melangkap View Camp Site and Tegudon Tourism Village.

Others include the Kundasang glamping sites at Tullynaw Glamping, Mongolian Yurt Wind Paradise Lodge, Umea Glam Kundasang and Rundum Highlands in Tenom, she added.

She said Tourism Malaysia fully supports efforts to promote camping and glamping in Tuaran so the district can become a stopover for travellers heading to Kota Belud and other northern parts of Sabah.

“We want to make Tuaran not just a pass-by district, but a place to explore its products and experience its tourist spots,” she said.

She said camping is not an expensive activity as there are more than 10 camping gear providers around Kota Kinabalu where campers can choose to buy their outdoor equipment.

“So, if you want a different experience of getting back to nature and enjoying the beach, camping and glamping are part of it,” said Haryanty.

She said camping sites established by private companies also benefit the local community by providing boat transport, camping gear, food catering and other services.

Interest in camping has been increasing over the years and that is why Tourism Malaysia produced a directory of camping and glamping sites across the country.

“So, once we produced the directory, it means there is a demand. We are blessed in Sabah with its geographical offerings, not only by the beach but also near the mountains and rivers,” she said.