Kota Kinabalu: A Sabah-developed digital tourism campaign combining augmented reality (AR), gamification and location-based exploration is offering visitors and locals a new way to discover attractions while supporting businesses across the State.
Borneo Adventure Hunt, developed by Jalin Creative Sdn Bhd and Reviewbah Sdn Bhd, was launched by State Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk James Ratib at the Digital and IoT Sandbox, here, Thursday.
The campaign has also gained international recognition after being named a Top 6 global finalist in the Best Location-Based Entertainment category at the Auggie Awards 2026, held during Augmented World Expo (AWE) USA in Long Beach, California.
James said the international recognition was evidence that Sabah-developed products and talent could compete globally.
“When we say Sabah has talent, this is what we mean. It is not a slogan, but proof,” he said.
His speech was delivered by his Political Secretary Justinus Jalang.
Developed through a collaboration between Jalin Creative and Reviewbah, Borneo Adventure Hunt allows participants to explore selected tourism locations, unlock AR experiences, complete digital challenges, collect rewards and discover promotional offers from participating local businesses.
The campaign is built and hosted on Reviewbah, a Sabah-developed local discovery and review application with approximately 1.1 million users, allowing participants to take part without downloading a separate application.
Participants can download the Reviewbah application from the App Store or Google Play, register a free account and visit participating locations across Kota Kinabalu, including Gaya Street, Sabah Museum, the Sabah Tourism Board heritage building, Sacred Heart Church, Kadaiku, Cocoa Kingdom and Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
At each checkpoint, participants point their phones at the location to reveal and collect an AR object. They can visit as many participating locations as they wish throughout the campaign period.
Those who complete at least six locations will receive vouchers from participating merchants and be automatically entered into the monthly lucky draw, which runs throughout the campaign period.
The first 200 participants to complete at least six locations will also receive a limited-edition Gold Card. Only 200 cards have been produced, with no further cards to be issued once they are claimed.
Jalin Creative Director Simon Jr Jalin said the campaign demonstrated how locally developed immersive technology could be applied directly to tourism.
“Our goal is to use digital technology in a practical way to enhance the visitor experience while creating more opportunities for Sabah businesses. We want visitors to discover more of Sabah, experience our attractions and culture, and at the same time contribute to the local economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Reviewbah Director Poong Ka Vui said the campaign demonstrated how a local digital platform could connect online engagement with real-world tourism activities.
“Through Reviewbah, we want to make local discovery more engaging and rewarding. Borneo Adventure Hunt encourages users to move from digital discovery into actual visits, while helping participating businesses gain greater visibility and customer engagement,” he said.
James said creativity should also be viewed as an economic asset capable of generating value, employment opportunities and new enterprises for Sabah.
“Creativity is no longer merely an interest or talent. Creativity is an asset and an economic driver,” he said.
James also acknowledged MDEC’s support for the project, which he described as a three-party collaboration involving MDEC, Reviewbah and Jalin Creative, as well as SCENIC’s role in providing support, guidance, networks and opportunities to local companies.
He said the project demonstrated the importance of building an ecosystem that enables local talent and ideas to develop into innovations with wider economic impact.
The campaign connects tourism attractions with hotels, restaurants, retailers and other participating businesses, with the aim of encouraging visitors to explore more destinations, stay engaged longer and spend across a wider network of local businesses.
It also supports Sabah’s broader digital transformation agenda and the aspirations of Sabah Maju Jaya, particularly in strengthening tourism, entrepreneurship, innovation and digital adoption.
James said Borneo Adventure Hunt showed how technology could be applied to real needs while benefiting local businesses.
“This is technology applied to a real problem faced by the people of Sabah. This is the kind of innovation we should encourage,” he said.
The launch featured a live AR demonstration, a showcase of six Malaysia Digital status companies from Sabah, the Gold Card presentation and a lucky draw, allowing media, industry representatives and invited guests to experience the platform directly.
Jalin Creative, Reviewbah and their partners believe Borneo Adventure Hunt can contribute towards positioning Sabah as a more innovative, digitally connected and competitive tourism destination, particularly in support of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and the journey towards Visit Sabah Year 2027.
