By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be aggressively promoting the Explore Sabah branding campaign to achieve the target of 3.5 million tourist arrivals this year.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew said this campaign focuses on seven key markets including the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia, and the domestic market.
“This year’s promotional focus is on beach and nature themes, diving activities, and direct interaction with wildlife, to offer a more authentic experience for visitors,” said Liew in her winding up speech at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly sitting here yesterday.
New tourism products such as birdwatching, wildlife observation, educational tourism, and wellness tourism are now attracting many foreign tourists, she said.
The government will continue to support the development of new products and ensure that the quality of tourism in the state is on par with, and among the best in the region, she added.
“My Ministry is also actively exploring new markets continuously, including neighbouring countries, India, Russia, and Eastern Europe,” said Liew.
The presence of international hotel chains in Sabah is a significant indicator of global confidence in the state’s potential, she said.
The safety and well-being of tourists remain a top priority whereby in February 2025, the Ministry, in collaboration with the British High Commission, organised the First Response Course for the first time in Semporna to ensure all safety measures are at their best, she said.
The Ministry has also formulated several Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for high-risk tourism activities such as scuba diving, sea walking, parasailing, snorkelling, and white-water rafting, she said.
In April 2025, she said a training course was conducted to certify 12 guides for the increasingly popular stand-up paddle activity, especially at Tanjung Aru Beach.
On environmental matters, she said the State Government remains committed to conserving natural treasures and biodiversity by gazetting several new areas as protected parks, such as Teluk Darvel Park, Ligitan Island Park, Mengalum Island Park, and Tun Juhar Park.
“This gazettement is part of the effort to meet the target of 13 per cent marine protected areas as outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan,” said Liew.
In January 2025, she said the Ministry launched a Napier grass planting project for the Borneo Pygmy elephants to be implemented at the Lower Kinabatangan River Riparian Reserve area near Kampung Bilit, Kinabatangan, under the Elephant Food Corridor Project.
This strategic move is one of the Ministry’s efforts to reduce human-elephant conflicts, she said.
The Government is also highly committed to addressing global environmental challenges.
The Sabah State Environmental Policy 2017 and its Action Plan are used as key references to ensure state development occurs sustainably, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she said.
“The government’s commitment is also demonstrated through its preparations to take over the management of scheduled waste from the Federal Government in 2026, under the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” said Liew.
In preserving the state’s heritage and culture, she said the Ministry has initiated the long-delayed construction of the Ranau Dusun Ethnic Museum, which is expected to be completed within one year.
“This project will become one of the heritage tourism products showcasing ethnic collections and the rich, unique local cultural treasures,” said Liew.
In January 2025, she said the Chief Minister officiated the ground breaking ceremony for the Sabah Cultural Complex located at the Sabah Cultural Complex site in Kinarut.
“This complex, which will include two main components – the Cultural Village and the Cultural Centre – will be a new tourism attraction offering a unique, innovative, and different experience from existing tourism products,” she said.
The Ministry will also upgrade facilities at the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Ramsar Site, which is a bird sanctuary and a tourism and educational attraction.
“The 1.3km boardwalk reconstruction project is expected to begin in August 2025,” she said.
Other projects, such as the Kudat Marine Gallery and Discovery Centre, to be built at Tanjung Simpang Mengayau (Tip of Borneo) within the Tun Mustapha Park area, will also commence this year, she said.
