By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: The long festive holidays saw a surge in traveller arrivals at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) on the second day of Hari Raya celebrations.
Passengers from both domestic and international flights were given a warm welcome by Tourism Malaysia as part of efforts to share the festive joy.
Tourism Malaysia Sabah Deputy Director Khairul Amir Anuar, along with representatives from the Sabah Tourism Board, hotel and travel agency associations, airport authorities, and airlines, were present to distribute festive goodies to arriving passengers.
The airport was filled with a festive atmosphere as passengers and the public were entertained with traditional cultural performances.
A highlight of the celebration was the symbolic act of filling rice and boiling ketupat, led by Khairul together with the representatives.
“There will be 15 domestic and 17 international flights arriving today from Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and China.
“All these flights are carrying an estimated 7,740 domestic and international passengers.
“The arrivals are between 10am and 6pm. The number of arrivals has exceeded our initial expectation of 5,000 passengers.
“We are quite surprised to see so many people travelling during the Hari Raya period.
“Perhaps they are taking advantage of the long holidays in Sabah.
“For international arrivals, the numbers are quite high. I believe this is partly due to our Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY) campaign,” he said.
Similar welcoming events were also held at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminals 1 and 2, Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas, and Kuching International Airport in Sarawak.
Malaysia’s tourism sector continues to demonstrate strong recovery and growth.
In 2024, the country recorded 38 million visitor arrivals, marking a significant 31.1 per cent increase compared to 29 million in 2023.
This figure also surpassed the pre-pandemic record of 35 million arrivals in 2019 by 8.6 per cent.
The top visitor-generating markets were Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Brunei, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and Chinese Taipei.
Total visitor receipts reached RM106.78 billion in 2024, reflecting a substantial 43.7 per cent growth over 2023 and exceeding the 2019 level by 20 per cent.
