Tourism players to enquire on ways to get tourists from China to come to Sabah

 By Olivia Miwil - January 19, 2022 @ 3:05pm

Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (SATTA) chairman Datuk Seri Winston Liaw (standing) during a joint press conference with 18 associations to urge government on the opening of international borders. - NSTP/Olivia Miwil

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah tourism players will be taking the initiative to find out about the requirements for tourists from China to come into the state.

Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (SATTA) chairman Datuk Seri Winston Liaw said Chinese tourists' arrivals made up 70 per cent of international tourists and this contributed significantly to revenues.

However, due to China's Covid-19 Zero policy, which imposes strict people movements, he said there is a need to find out from the Chinese Embassy or Consulate and comply with the country's requirements.

"We also want to find out what kind of situation that will lead to them to open (their borders).

"After that, we have to fulfil the requirements so that China will consider Sabah and Malaysia as their next destinations to go to," he said during a joint press conference with 18 other tourism and business-related associations here.

The press conference was aimed to urge the Sabah government to open up the international borders or at least allow Vaccinated TraveL Lanes (VTL) with Shenzhen, Taipei, Seoul and Singapore.

He said there should be preparations ahead of the borders reopening, which some quarters expect to become reality by March or April.

He said discussions with foreign countries must be done , besides providing testing facilities and the implementation of other standard operating procedures.

Liaw said through the Sabah Tourism Board, they hope to convey to the Health Ministry the requirement to gazette quarantine facilities designated only for tourists only.

He added that with the proposed VTL, it would also attract investors to look for business opportunities in Sabah.

"We have been waiting for the past two years. Sabah tourism was badly impacted since the lockdown. Hopefully the endemic phase will come soon.

"Last October, the government allowed interstate travel which has helped the tourism industry a little bit.

"However, for the whole industry, it is still very much behind because of the spending power among domestic travellers. (Therefore), we are still aiming for international tourist arrivals."

On Monday, Sabah Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun had called upon tourism players to focus on the domestic market while waiting for the international borders to reopen.

The former state Tourism, Culture and Environment minister, said 2.7 million out of the 4 million arrivals to Sabah were domestic travellers.

He had also said 30 per cent or 810,000 from the total Malaysians who visit would translate to Sabah earning RM2 billion annually.