By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: The business community has expressed support for initiatives that create new opportunities while contributing to wider tourism development in Sabah.
President of the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCI), Datuk Michael Lui, said the current momentum in tourism is encouraging, particularly in the post-pandemic period.
“Local businesses are feeling the positive effects, with hopes for continued collaboration to attract both international and domestic tourists to Sabah,” said Lui, who led a courtesy call on Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, at the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) office.
Lui welcomed Joniston’s call to explore rural areas as a complement to the growing tourism industry in urban centres.
Joniston said rural tourism is emerging as a key focus for Sabah and offers untapped potential for business involvement.
He noted that many rural communities have already taken the lead in developing community-based tourism, and that further support from the private sector would strengthen and expand these grassroots efforts.
Joniston, who also chairs the STB, added that increased business activity in rural areas would contribute to local income generation, support broader rural development, and enhance the quality and sustainability of existing tourism initiatives.
The meeting also touched on tourism recovery and the importance of public-private collaboration in supporting events and destination promotion.
Lui thanked the Ministry and STB for promoting golf tourism and for supporting KKCCI’s golf event in May.
He also commended ongoing efforts to attract more visitors to Sabah, which he said had helped boost business confidence in Kota Kinabalu.
