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Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment plans to move into Wisma Budaya in Kampung Air within the next three years.

The building belongs to the Sabah Cultural Board, a State Government agency operating under the Ministry. It presently operates from Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens in Karamunsing.

This was revealed in a video presentation briefing by its Minister Datuk Christina Liew at a media luncheon at a leading hotel, Thursday.

Wisma Budaya is located next to Plaza Shell at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Plaza Shell is the CBD’s first Grade A office complex.

In the past, the developer – Hap Seng Group - was reportedly interested in developing the Wisma Budaya site with its Plaza Shell project in exchange for a land swap elsewhere, but was not successful.

The Plaza Shell was built after the BFO cinema complex was demolished.

Currently, the Ministry’s offices are scattered around Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens, at the old post office building in Gaya Street, Sinsuran Complex and the Sabah Convention Bureau at Sutera Avenue.

The Sabah Convention Bureau aims to bring in 2,000 MICE events this year, having overseen some 1,428 MICE events last year to boost business event visitors to Sabah with the State aiming to attract more than five million tourists for 2025.

Sabah earned more than RM7.2 billion in tourism receipts last year from some 3.1 million visitors which makes tourism one of the highest revenue earners for the Land Below the Wind, poised now to introduce more attractive tourism products.