Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is adopting a more adaptive tourism approach amid shifting global aviation conditions, influenced by geopolitical tensions, rising costs and changes in airline capacity, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin (pic).

He said the State’s tourism planning would be guided by a flexible framework allowing continuous assessment of global developments, particularly those affecting air connectivity and international travel demand.

Jafry said several routes into Kota Kinabalu had been affected by temporary suspensions and reduced frequencies, including AirAsia’s Singapore–Kota Kinabalu, Jakarta–Kota Kinabalu, Ho Chi Minh–Kota Kinabalu, Sibu–Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu–Kota Kinabalu routes, as well as Batik Air’s Seoul–Kota Kinabalu service.

He said arrivals performance planning is based on scenario-based assessments covering prolonged external disruptions, a stabilising baseline and potential recovery in airline capacity, adding that Sabah recorded 932,970 arrivals up to March 2026, comprising 537,317 domestic and 395,653 international visitors.

Jafry said Sabah remained committed to sustaining tourism growth through intensified promotional efforts in key domestic and regional markets with established air connectivity, while the Ministry and Sabah Tourism Board would continue engaging airline partners and industry stakeholders to strengthen connectivity and improve accessibility into the State.