Sabah Malaysia My Second Home approved: Liew
Published on: Thursday, February 02, 2023
Liew said Sabah would be looking at high-end participants for a high yield.
Kota Kinabalu: The State Government has approved, in principle, the policies for implementation of the Sabah-Malaysia My Second Home (SBH-MM2H) programme.State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew said the State Cabinet has approved the policies which govern the prerequisites for participation in the programme such as age requirement, medical certification and a fixed deposit account in Sabah.
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“Among the terms and conditions of the SBH-MM2H programme are a minimum stay of 30 days a year; approved duration for an individual or family is for 5+5 years for stay in Sabah only; eligibility to purchase property (apartments) at a minimum value of RM600,000 and above; certification of good conduct from the applicant’s country of origin; medical check-up certificate; opening of a bank account in any local bank in Sabah with a fixed deposit of RM200,000,” she said.
With a unique and competitive SBH-MM2H programme that is user-friendly, Liew said Sabah would be looking at high-end participants for a high yield.
The Minister is optimistic that the programme would attract participants who fulfil the qualifying criteria.
“It is anticipated that these participants will create a significant impact on the State’s economy, especially in real property development and the tourism industry,” she added.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment has come up with a formula to ease the burden caused by the price hike for the Mt Kinabalu Climb permit fee and the entrance fee to Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring, which was implemented on Jan 1.
Announcing this, Liew said her Ministry approved the formula after a meeting with Sabah Parks Director Dr Maklarin Lakim and his management team on Monday.
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“We are giving a three-month grace period from October to December 2022 prior to implementation of the new fees. For paid reservations before Jan 1, we will still adopt the old rate. This is because packages had already been sold before the announcement of the increase in fees on Oct 26.
“However, all packages sold after Jan 1 will be based on the new rate,” she said in a statement Wednesday, in response to public and media enquiries, and to appeals for consideration from the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta), Sabah/Labuan Chapter.
The move, Liew said, is to assist local tour and travel agents as well as their clients.
Last week, a delegation from Matta Sabah/Labuan Chapter led by Lawrence Chin raised the matter with the Minister during a courtesy call.
As an example, for an adult Malaysian climber, the previous permit fee was RM50 and RM200 for an adult international climber. Both have since increased by 100pc.
As for the entrance fee to the Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring, it was a mere RM3 per adult for locals and RM15 per adult for international visitors. The current fee is now RM10 and RM50 per adult, respectively.
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