Koreans may fly direct to Tawau soon: Liew
Published on: Sunday, May 21, 2023
By: Anthea Peter
Christina (fifth left), Joniston (third left), Tan (fourth left), Lawrence (sixth right) and Noredah (second left).
Kota Kinabalu: Charter flights between South Korea and Tawau are in the pipeline, said State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.“I had a reputable tourism player (from Incheon) come to my office and inform me that he is concluding a deal for chartered flights direct to Tawau,” she said, after officiating the 2023 Sabah Matta Fair at Sabah International Convention Centre, Saturday.
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Also present were Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Matta President Datuk Tan Kok Liang, Matta Sabah Chapter Chairman Lawrence Chin and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman.
The Api-Api Assemblywoman said the move is apt as many tourists are interested in going to Semporna which is known for its world-class diving sites and picturesque ocean views.
Getting to Semporna usually requires travellers about an hour’s drive from Tawau.
Meanwhile, Christina said the Ministry, alongside STB and relevant stakeholders, would take a non-traditional approach to expanding Sabah’s tourism sector.
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She said starting this year Sabah would work on fostering connections with the United States of America, Australia, India and the Middle East, among others.
“We have always consistently been promoting Sabah to European countries, but this year onwards we are going to expand our horizons so that we can open up Sabah to the world.
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“We are not only maintaining traditional countries like Germany or London, but we also expand to America. America is now opening up also.
“We’d like to expand to Australia, which is very closely connected with Borneo. We already have existing products like the Sandakan Death March route and all this past history.
“For India and the Middle East, we are still in the process of negotiating the best deals that are mutually beneficial, we are still working on that one.
“We are looking into new angles, new destinations, for tourism to grow,” she said.
The Ministry would also tap into a new market from second-tier and third-tier cities in China, apart from regular tourists from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are first-tier cities.
“By June or July, we will be moving into these (second-tier and third-tier) provinces. A lot of them have never been out, so we are moving in. I believe we have products in Borneo that we can offer them,” she said.
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