Jafry Ariffin
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is adopting a more adaptive approach to its tourism outlook as global aviation conditions continue to shift due to geopolitical tensions, rising operational costs and changes in airline capacity.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the State’s tourism planning would be guided by a flexible framework that allows continuous assessment of global developments, particularly those affecting air connectivity and international travel demand.
“We are already seeing these changes impacting airline capacity, with route suspensions and reduced frequencies affecting connectivity into Kota Kinabalu, and we are closely monitoring developments to ensure our tourism planning remains responsive,” he said in a statement today.
Among the affected routes are AirAsia’s temporary suspension of the Singapore-Kota Kinabalu route from May 13 to Nov 30, Jakarta-Kota Kinabalu from April 16 to May 21, and Ho Chi Minh-Kota Kinabalu beginning July 1.
Batik Air has also suspended its Seoul-Kota Kinabalu route effective April 28, while domestically, AirAsia will temporarily suspend its Sibu-Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu-Kota Kinabalu routes from June 8 to June 30.
Jafry said the developments reflected broader external factors that could influence visitor arrivals and overall connectivity trends.
He said the State’s arrivals performance planning is based on scenario assessments that take into account different operating environments, including prolonged external disruptions, a stabilising baseline and potential recovery in airline capacity.
“As at March, arrivals are still on track towards the original target of four million arrivals, but the target may be revised depending on real-time developments in airline connectivity and market conditions,” he said.
He added that the approach is supported by continuous market intelligence, research and industry engagement led by the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), including coordination with airline partners to strengthen connectivity planning and support tourism strategy decisions.
Based on preliminary statistics, Sabah recorded 932,970 visitor arrivals up to March 2026, comprising 537,317 domestic and 395,653 international visitors.
Jafry reiterated Sabah’s commitment to sustaining tourism growth while remaining flexible in responding to evolving aviation conditions.
He said the State would continue intensifying promotional efforts in key domestic and regional markets with established air connectivity while leveraging existing routes to sustain visitor arrivals.
“The Ministry, together with STB, will continue engaging airline partners and industry stakeholders to strengthen connectivity and improve accessibility into Sabah.
“In the current environment, we must remain adaptive and responsive,” he said.
