By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s high international flight arrivals offer promising potential for developing the wedding tourism sector.
Wedding Professionals Association of Malaysia (WPAM) president Patrick Low said despite the high number of international flights, Malaysia and Sabah were not promoted as wedding destinations.
“I have visited the Global Wedding Exhibition in Shanghai, where wedding professionals only promoted Bali, Maldives, Phuket, Koh Samui and others,” said Low during a courtesy call on Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit at his office.
The meeting was also attended by Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Josie Lai and Tanjung Aru Assemblyman Datuk Wong Hong Jun to discuss developing Sabah as a world-class wedding destination.
Low said Sabah was well positioned as a wedding destination, with its diverse cultures and cuisine, beautiful natural scenery and many attractions suitable for foreign couples.
Airworld Tour and Travel chairman Winston Liaw Kit Siong proposed that hotels offer special rates for wedding packages, while airlines provide special fares for groups travelling to Sabah for weddings.
He also proposed that STB subsidise the airfares.
Liaw thanked STB for agreeing to host a familiarisation trip for foreign wedding planners to Sabah in the near future.
“We hope this new market will boost Sabah’s arrivals and enhance its image,” said Liaw.
He said they also had fruitful discussions with several four- and five-star hotels, which would form a team to explore and promote Sabah as a wedding destination.
Liaw, Datin Winnie Loo and Datin Jeanette Tambakau have been appointed wedding tourism advisors, while Angela Chan has been appointed WPAM ambassador.
Josie (seventh right), Julinus (ninth right), Liaw (10th right), Low (11th right), and other guests during the courtesy call.
