By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: Five Sabah tourism industry associations have called for closer cooperation with government agencies to address five operational issues ahead of Visit Sabah Year 2027 (VSY2027).
The issues are rising airfares, water supply disruptions affecting hotels, weekly fuel price adjustments, illegal “white van” operators and unlicensed short-term rental accommodation.
The Sabah Tourism Federation (STF), Sabah Enhanced Travel Innovation Association (Setia), Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Satta), Sabah Tourist Association (STA) and Malaysia Budget Hotel Association (MyBHA) Sabah Chapter said early and coordinated action was needed to sustain traveller confidence and the industry’s competitiveness.
The joint statement was issued by STF president Tonny Chew, Setia chairman Christina Wahida Kong, Satta chairman Justin Chong, STA chairman Melanie Chu and MyBHA chairman Harold Chung.
On airfares, the associations said prices on the Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu return route had risen significantly in recent months.
They proposed introducing targeted package tour subsidies through the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment for licensed tour agencies.
They said the targeted approach would help cushion the impact of higher airfares on package tours without broadly subsidising airfares.
The associations also raised concern over water supply disruptions affecting hotels in Kota Kinabalu.
They said at least 10 hotels had recently reported water outages, affecting housekeeping and food and beverage operations and potentially leading to negative reviews and cancellations.
They called for closer coordination between Sabah Water Department, Kota Kinabalu City Hall and other relevant authorities, particularly in giving hotels advance notice of planned supply disruptions.
They also proposed standby water tanker arrangements for affected hotels and better planning of shutdown and rectification works to minimise disruption during peak periods.
On fuel costs, the associations said weekly fuel price adjustments had affected van, bus and boat operators serving the tourism sector.
They said fluctuating fuel costs had forced tour operators to adjust their rates, increasing the cost of tour packages at a time when neighbouring destinations were seen as more affordable.
They renewed their call for better long-term planning on fuel pricing and urged the Government to consider including licensed tourism transport operators in the subsidised diesel control system.
The associations also called for stronger enforcement against illegal “white van” operators, which they said had become more rampant across Sabah.
They claimed the unlicensed operators were able to offer lower fares partly by using subsidised Budi diesel intended for other purposes, including the reported 400-litre Budi diesel allocation.
They said this created unfair competition for licensed operators and raised safety concerns as the illegal services operated without proper licensing and insurance coverage.
They urged the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board, Road Transport Department and other enforcement agencies to step up action against illegal van operations and review the leakage of subsidised diesel for unauthorised commercial use.
On short-term rental accommodation (STRA), the associations called for stronger enforcement against unlicensed STRA operators.
They said the concern was not with short-term accommodation itself but with operators working outside the regulatory, safety and taxation framework required of legitimate accommodation providers.
They said this created an uneven playing field and potential risks for visitors.
The associations called for closer coordination with licensing and local authorities to bring unlicensed STRA operators into the proper regulatory framework.
They said visitor growth during VSY2027 should be matched by adequate protection and confidence regardless of the type of accommodation chosen.
The five associations said their recommendations were made in the hope of seeing Sabah’s tourism industry grow together with the government and relevant agencies.
They said continued dialogue and cooperation would be important in ensuring Sabah was ready to welcome visitors during VSY2027.
(From left) Harold, Melanie, Tonny, Justin and Setia representative Alvin Quek.
