Cruise ships set to sail thousands of visitors to Sabah

 By Olivia Miwil

January 27, 2026 @ 6:57pm

Assistant Minister to the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai says the state is set to welcome at least 30,000 tourists from cruise ship arrivals this year. – NSTP pic

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is set to welcome at least 30,000 tourists from cruise ship arrivals this year.

Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the projection followed confirmation from Suria Capital Holdings Bhd of 25 cruise ship calls scheduled for 2026.

Joniston, who also chairs the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), said the state welcomed initiatives that attract visitors and boost tourism-related spending, particularly for local communities and the wider economy.

"Collaboration between the STB and cruise industry players can be further strengthened to better understand how we can jointly promote cruise tourism and Sabah in general, especially for short-stay and day visitors, by leveraging cruise ship arrivals," he said in a statement.

In 2025, Sabah recorded 23 cruise ship calls carrying 24,634 passengers, with 19 ships docking at Kota Kinabalu Port and four at Sandakan Port — nearly double the 14 ships and 16,727 passengers in 2024.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Sabah saw 30 cruise ship calls in 2019, bringing in 36,183 passengers.

This year, Sabah is targeting four million visitors under Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY 2026). Last year, the state exceeded its target of 3.5 million, recording approximately 3.6 million arrivals.