Dr Maklarin (left) receiving the Special Chief Minister’s Award from Liew.
KOTA KINABALU: 2024 was an eventful year for the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry (KePKAS) and its agencies.
From the outset, KePKAS through the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) was pushing for the resumption of flights that were discontinued during the Covid-19 pandemic, and for the introduction of new routes.
Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew commented that the move had greatly improved Sabah’s connectivity to domestic and international destinations alike.
On the Sabah front, Liew launched the 24/7 Careline Chatbot, an important initiative of STB to ensure the safety of tourists during holidays in the state. It is a digital tool specially designed by the Board to provide tourists with round-the-clock access to essential information and support. It can be downloaded from a QR code available at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) as well as tourist spots or from the STB website.
“The Careline Chatbot serves as a reliable source of information, addressing common inquiries, offering guidance, and providing vital contact details for local authorities in case of emergencies.”
Conservation efforts remain a priority, too. This is reflected in the extension of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (FOSTER) and Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) for another five years to continue sea turtle conservation and protection programs on Libaran Island. The agreement was signed by FOSTER President Alexander Yee and SWD Director Roland Oliver Niun.
Capping The Board of Trustees of Sabah Parks’ achievements was the Special Chief Minister’s Award presented to its Director Dr Maklarin Lakim by Liew on behalf of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at the Sabah Tourism Appreciation Night hosted by STB. Sabah Parks is recognised as “A Global Champion in Conservation, Sustainability, and Community Empowerment”. It has reportedly demonstrated exceptional stewardship in managing three of Sabah’s most prestigious sites recognised by UNESCO, namely Kinabalu Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), UNESCO Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve, and Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark.
In another development, all systems were geared towards getting the proposed Sabah Cultural Complex in Kinarut and the Elephant Food Corridor in Kinabatangan ready for launching in 2025.
At the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tawau International Cultural Centre, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had announced that two new tourism-related projects, proposed by KePKAS, will be implemented in Tawau. These are the development of a proposed resort comprising 30 chalets at the Tawau Hills Park, and a Tawau jetty to accommodate boats designed to ferry tourists from Tawau to the Semporna islands.
2024 also marked the official launching of Sabah Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah MM2H) programme by Liew. The programme is placed under the purview of KePKAS. It gives participants the opportunity to live in Sabah with multiple entry visas for a minimum of 5+5 years, and to own housing property with a minimum purchase price of RM600,000.
Significantly, Sabah’s MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) Industry has grown by leaps and bounds, Liew noted. Incredibly, the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) hosted 1,428 main events (locally, state, regional, and international levels) in 2024, marking a notable growth compared to 1,301 events in 2023.
Confirming this phenomenon, SICC Chief Executive Officer Datuk Rosmawati Lasuki attributed the growth to strategic collaborations, particularly with KePKAS. “The Ministry’s support has been instrumental in achieving this milestone,” she said. SICC plans to continue strengthening its partnership with KePKAS in the coming years to sustain this momentum, according to her.
International events supported by the Ministry included the International Wholistic Wellness Conference & Expo (organised by AEI Wellness), International Women’s Conference (organised by the Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association or Swepa), JCI Malaysia National Convention (hosted by JCI Tanjung Aru), 42nd Conference of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (CAFEO42), attended by 1300 delegates, and Conference on Protecting Semporna’s Marine Environment from Plastic Pollution and Fish Bombing, a collaboration between the Embassy of Germany, Kuala Lumpur, and BLU Hope, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO).
One new development was the establishment of the Sabah Convention Bureau (SCB) with Noredah Othman as the Chief Executive Officer under the purview of KePKAS. Before the year drew to a close, the Sabah Tourism Minister led a delegation from KePKAS and SCB to participate in the 63rd International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) World Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Speaking to more than 1500 delegates from 78 countries, the majority of whom have never heard about Sabah, Liew promoted the Land Below The Wind, North Borneo, Malaysia at the ICCA Challenge Night supported by the Ministry. She highlighted Sabah as an ideal destination for hosting MICE or Business Events (BE).
On the cruise tourism front, the Minister said the visits of cruise ships had helped boost the local economy, apart from enhancing Sabah’s position on the world tourism map.
Updating Liew, Group Managing Director of Suria Capital Holdings Berhad, Datuk Ng Kiat Min said 13 cruise ships called at the Kota Kinabalu Port in 2024. The total of passengers was estimated to be 24,400 pax, including the crew, according to Ng.
Liew kicked off STB’s European tour to promote Sabah in March 2024. From the ITB Berlin (world’s leading travel trade show) where the Minister launched STB’s multilingual Sabah Brochure (translated to German, Dutch, French, and Spanish), she wasted no time in travelling to Hungary to “sell” Sabah at the Sabah Tourism Destination Presentation event for more than 30 local tour and travel agents in Budapest (most of whom knew nothing about Sabah but had heard of the name “Malaysia”, while others thought that Sabah is part of Indonesia).
And in November 2024, STB had its own space dubbed Sabah Pavilion for the first time at the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London for Sabah to share its natural wonders with the world such as the UNESCO heritage sites, and for tourism players to showcase their products and services at the business to business exhibition.
At the Pavilion, Liew launched the Explore Sabah Campaign, witnessed by Assistant Minister cum Chairman of STB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Permanent Secretary Datuk Josie Lai, Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Datuk Zakri Jaafar, and STB Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit, among other officials.
“Our participation at the World Travel Market is part of a larger journey to connect with global partners and amplify our presence in the United Kingdom and beyond,” she said.
The Minister stressed that Explore Sabah is a strategic initiative to enhance Sabah’s appeal as a favourite destination, particularly in anticipation of Visit Malaysia Year 2026. “Through Explore Sabah, we are gearing up to showcase our stunning state and establish it as Malaysia’s preferred destination for those seeking unforgettable experiences in culture, adventure, and nature tourism.”
At the same time, Liew announced a national campaign collaboration between STB and Intrepid Travel UK to further enhance Sabah’s international profile. Towards this end, she witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC) between the two bodies, inked by STB Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit and EMEA, Intrepid UK Senior Marketing Manager Angela Chen, respectively.
The outgoing year also saw renewed efforts by Sabah to get the countries concerned to lift the travel advisory to their citizens against visiting Sabah’s east coast islands. In May, STB held meetings with diplomats in Kuala Lumpur to request the removal of these travel advisories. And in July, the Home Ministry invited foreign representatives from nine countries to attend a briefing and security survey programme of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone). According to the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, the programme provided the representatives with first hand experience of the safety measures in place along Sabah’s east coast, particularly within the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSzone).
While in London for the World Travel Mart (WTM) in November 2024, Liew led a delegation to meet with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Director of South East Asia and Pacific, Charles Hay, to request the UK Government to lift the travel ban prohibiting British citizens from visiting the East Coast of Sabah. She invited the latter to come to Sabah and see for himself the satisfactory level of security in the state.
