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WHILE we are witnessing a surge in the number of Korean tourist arrivals to Sabah, the other side of the coin is that there is somehow some reservation about Semporna (being on the east coast of Sabah), although it serves as the gateway to world renowned diving sites.

As it is, the travel advisory against visiting the east coast of Sabah is still in place, while the UK Government no longer advises against travel to islands and dive sites in the maritime area around Kudat.

Hence, it was not all plain sailing for Julie Wong, who is the Director of WB Tours & Travel, when trying to “sell” her water bungalows and Semporna diving tour package in South Korea. The bungalows are just a 15-minute boat ride from the Semporna town.

“I was looking for a new tourism market and exploring opportunities in business. But I realised it may take two to three years to develop a new market. It’s tough but I won’t give up,” said the participant who thanked STB for giving her the chance to take part in the roadshow for the first time.

Wong hoped the Tourism Malaysia Seoul Office would work harder to convince Koreans at large that Sabah is a safe place to visit.