By Olivia Miwil - April 14, 2022 @ 6:56pm
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is urging the relevant quarters to ensure that cheaper flight tickets and easier travel requirements are in place, in order to aid the state revive its tourism industry.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Jafry Ariffin said given that Sabah is accessible mostly only by air, travel costs should be within reasonable limits.
"We've recently received complaints about a sharp increase of up to 500 per cent for flight tickets to Sabah.
"Although this is a business strategy as decided by the cabinet ministers, the Transport Ministry should nevertheless discuss with airline companies on how to prevent ticket prices from skyrocketing.
"This could affect tourist arrivals and those who want to come back to the state," he said during a press conference prior to the ministry's breaking of fast event here today.
Asked if the Sabah government will scrap the professional Covid-19 test requirement and the use of MySejahtera for foreigners, Jafry said he believed it would be done when the appropriate time comes.
The move would echo Thailand, which last week scrapped its PCR Covid-19 test requirement in order to boost its tourism industry.
Sabah Immigration Department figures state that there have been 227,000 inbound visitors since February.
Sabah will receive its first direct AirAsia international flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu International Airport here this Saturday, a Scoot Airlines flight at the end of this month and another one from Brunei.
Jafry remained optimistic that the tourist market from China and South Korea, who form the majority of the state's international visitors, can be tapped into once the restrictions are lifted.
"We have allowed the reopening of international borders and we are targeting between one and 1.5 million tourists to Sabah. We are optimistic that this sector will come back," he said.
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