Kota Kinabalu: As Sabah’s tourism sector continues to grow, the State should further enhance tourism quality and visitor spending while strengthening the link between tourism and trade, so visitor arrivals can translate into broader business opportunities and economic benefits.
Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Sabah Secretary Lam Lee Chin said while growth in visitor numbers was important, the more critical question was how to extend the economic benefits generated by tourism and create stronger linkages among tourism spending, business exchanges and investment cooperation.
She said this in response to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s remarks that Sabah remains on track to achieve its target of four million visitor arrivals this year.
As of August, Sabah had recorded about 2.6 million visitor arrivals, comprising 1.1 million international visitors and 1.5 million domestic visitors, reflecting continued growth in the State’s tourism market.
Lam said under the leadership of President Datuk Dexter Lau, MCCC Sabah continued to focus on strengthening the link between tourism and trade, viewing tourism not only as an important driver of consumer spending but also as a platform for international business exchanges and market expansion.
She said air connectivity remained a key foundation for both tourism and international business travel in Sabah. In addition to expanding domestic and international routes, greater attention should be given to flight reliability and convenience, particularly connectivity with China and other major tourism markets.
“Sabah has rich ecological, island and multicultural resources. Beyond attracting visitors, we should further enhance our tourism products and experiences so that visitors stay longer, spend more and generate wider benefits for hotels, food and beverage, retail, transportation, cultural and other related sectors.”She said international visitors to Sabah could bring not only tourism spending, but also opportunities to discover local businesses, products and the State’s investment environment, potentially leading from tourism consumption to business exchanges, business matching and investment cooperation.
“Therefore, what we need is not simply more visitors, but stronger connections between visitors, businesses and markets, so that tourist flows can be further transformed into momentum for trade and economic exchanges.”Lam said MCCC Sabah would continue to promote the link between tourism and trade through business exchanges, business matching and international market connections, while helping local businesses explore opportunities in China and other overseas markets.
She also stressed that tourism development must progress alongside infrastructure improvements, environmental protection and community capacity, ensuring that the sector remained inclusive, sustainable and capable of generating greater value.
“Moving forward, Sabah’s tourism sector should further enhance tourism quality, visitor spending and industry-wide economic impact, while strengthening the link between tourism and trade, so that tourism can become an important engine of economic development for the State.”
