Kota Kinabalu: Former State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew
(pic) is delighted that Sabah has achieved its target of 3.5 million tourist arrivals set for the year 2025.
She attributed this accomplishment to the relentless efforts put in by the Ministry and its agencies, namely Sabah Tourism Board (STB), Sabah Convention Bureau (SCB), Sabah Parks Board of Trustees, State Museum Department, Sabah Cultural Board (LKNS), Sabah Wildlife Department, Environment Protection Department and Sabah-Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah-MM2H) Committee.
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Liew also gave credit to the State’s tourism players comprising tour and travel agents, tour operators and guides, transporters, hotels, restaurants, cultural centres, tourism-related organisations and a culinary association for contributing to tourism growth in Sabah, not forgetting groups that are promoting Kota Kinabalu as a gastronomic city.
At this juncture, she gave STB Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit and his intrepid team a pat on the back for a commendable job in marketing Sabah as a desirable travel destination, physically and on digital media platforms.
According to Liew, STB has been consistent in featuring and promoting the tourist hotspots and services internationally in collaboration with the other government agencies under the Ministry.
“Congratulations to all government agencies involved, stakeholders and individuals from the private sector who have played a significant role in promoting Sabah to the outside world. I am indeed very happy.
“I won’t go into the specifics. Suffice for me to say that the tourist and visitor arrivals from the international and domestic source markets have posted a double-digit growth as compared to the arrival figures for 2024,” Liew said in a statement, Friday.
Given that this year is Visit Malaysia Year, Liew is optimistic that Sabah’s offer of new tourism products and upgraded tourism facilities will lure more tourists and visitors.
During Liew’s tenure (2018-2020 & 2023-2025), she led delegations from the Ministry and STB to various countries to aggressively promote Sabah as a premier tourist destination, including Abu Dhabi, UAE, where she introduced Sabah to 1,500 delegates from 78 countries , many of whom said they had not heard about Sabah when met at the 63rd International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) World Congress in 2024.
In 2023, she officially launched Sabah’s new destination rebranding with “Feel Sabah, North Borneo” at the ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, joined by then Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.
