Liew (third left) seen with a China Eastern C919 plane model exchanges souvenirs with Chen (second left), Jin (third right) and Tan (second right). Looking on are Lai (right) and Tay (left).
SHANGHAI: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew is keen for Sabah to tap the Russian travel market as yet another potential source of international tourists.
She said there are three weekly eight-hour flights via Airbus330 from Moscow to Shanghai which serves as a hub for international tourists travelling to destinations in Southeast Asia.
“I was informed that 70 per cent of the Russians who fly to Shanghai use the destination as a transit point for travel to parts of Southeast Asia.
“Sabah must capitalise on this travel trend to secure a fair share of the tourism cake in the region.
“I understand that Russians love island holidays and wildlife such as bears. Sabah’s iconic wildlife such as the Borneo Pygmy Elephant, Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, and Sunbear should be alluring to them,” Liew said after a business meeting with two representatives of Shanghai Airlines/China Eastern Airlines at a leading hotel here Thursday.
They were Shulei Chen (China Eastern Airlines Vice General Manager, Revenue Management Department) and Jin Chengchu (China Eastern Airlines Vice General Manager, Sales & Marketing Department).
Liew, who was accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Josie Lai, directed the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Deputy CEO Tay Shu Lan and her team to study the tourism market in Russia.
‘We want to diversify our target markets,” she said.
As it is, December marks the beginning of the winter season in Russia until February, marked by an increasing demand for a getaway vacation.
Noting that temperatures could reach as low as -40 degrees Celsius, Liew wants Sabah to cash in on the Russians’ winter escape to Southeast Asia during this period.
Chen and Jin described the meeting with the Minister as a fruitful one.
“We are happy to exchange notes with (Datuk) Liew about bilateral tourism, and are able to learn more about Sabah as we have never been to this part of Malaysia,” they said.
On Liew’s invitation to the duo to come to Sabah, they said they anticipate visiting the state in the not too distant future.
“We will certainly find the time to come. All these years, we have been too busy with work commitments. “Given that Shanghai now serves as a hub for international visitors travelling to Southeast Asia, I hope to bring tourists from all over the world to visit Sabah,” Chen told the Minister.
Shanghai Airlines is the 7th biggest airline in the world. With a fleet of more than 790 aircraft, it can serve up to 3200 international and domestic flights per day during peak seasons.
Meanwhile, the representatives of Shanghai/China Eastern Airlines were very positive about Liew’s proposal for Shanghai Airlines to increase its flight frequency from Shanghai to Kota Kinabalu from the current seven to 10 weekly flights.
“They are open to the suggestion to increase the flights during the next Chinese New Year season,” said Liew.
Also present were Liew’s Political Secretary Vivien Lee, Tourism Consul Tan Mei Leng of the Consulate-General of Malaysia in Shanghai, and STB Assistant Marketing Manager (North Asia) Yvonne Chin.
