Sabah achieved 25 per cent of targeted 4 million tourist arrivals this year.

By Olivia Miwil
Olivia@nstp.com.my
Pictures by Olivia Miwil

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has received more than 1 million visitors for the first quarter of the year with an increase of 9.1 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Christina Liew said the state government has set 4 million tourist arrivals this year.

"From the total arrivals, 82,074 visitors are from Korea, making it the second largest market source for international arrivals to Sabah (after China).

"In a few days, Sabah will be receiving two inaugural direct flights from South Korea. With this additional connectivity, there will be now 48 weekly direct flights from South Korea to Kota Kinabalu International Airport," she said, adding the ministry is also hoping to tap opportunity to promote Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE) market to Koreans as Sabah is going big on the product once the Sabah International Convention Centre here completes by year end.

Liew was speaking during the press conference here on the upcoming direct flights both by Air Busan from Daegu and Busan of South Korea.

Present were Sabah Tourism Board chairman Ken Pan, Tourism Malaysia state director Jamilah Abdul Halim and Air Busan branch manager Jung Sang Bong, as well as Kota Kinabalu International Airport senior airport manager Sunif Naiman.

Flying from the city of of Daegu, the carrier will make the first touchdown in Malaysia at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here on May 15.

The new Daegu flight will be flying four times weekly every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

As for daily flight from Busan to Kota Kinabalu, its first flight will arrive on May 22.

“I hope with this initiative, we are able to receive more visitors to the East Coast as well.

“We also have plans to upgrade the airports in east to enable foreign airlines to establish direct flights there,” Liew.

Meanwhile, Jung said that few of the pulling factors for Koreans to come to Kota Kinabalu include the city’s beautiful sunset and sea activities among others.