Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew is in favour of promoting bilateral tourism cooperation between Sabah and the Middle East for mutual benefit.
She said there are prospects for forging tourism relations between the two destinations as Sabah is looking at new destinations to market its tourism products.
“Once we reach an agreement on the fundamental factors for mutual promotion of tourism, we can establish the framework for bilateral tourism cooperation for business and leisure.
“For example, we can tap the honeymoon market in Egypt, among other countries in the Middle East,” Liew said during a courtesy call by a three-member delegation from Global Travel Service (GTS Group) led by its Malaysia Office Manager Hisham Awny.
SPONSORED CONTENT Firefly’s inaugural flight to Sandakan SANDAKAN: Firefly, the low-cost carrier subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines; made its inaugural flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan on Tuesday. Read more Other members were the Managing Director of Egypt Promotion Ibrahim El Aref, CEO & Founder of Travel Link Nancy Zahran from Jordan and Avasi Borneo Tours & Travel Chief Operating Officer Alicia Gomes. (Avasi Borneo is GTS Group’s partner in Sabah).
Briefing the Sabah Minister, Awny said the GTS Group is in Sabah to promote the Middle East in the hope of wooing Malaysians to visit Egypt, Jordan, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Dubai, Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In response, Liew suggested a two-way approach in that they go for both inbound and outbound tourism, with the GTS Group promoting Sabah in the Middle East, and this was agreed upon.
Meanwhile, El Aref offered to hold a Sabah promotional roadshow for tour operators in Egypt if the Sabah Tourism marketing team goes to his country in the near future.
The visiting group, who arrived here on Tuesday, has visited Mabul and joined a sunset cruise, among other fact-finding activities.
Together with two other companies from Dubai and Saudi Arabia, the GTS Group will be participating for the first time (under Avasi Borneo Tours & Travel) in the Matta Sabah Fair which will be held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) from May 19-21.
Present at the courtesy call were the Ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary I Mary Malangking and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Senior Marketing Manager Humphrey Ginibun.
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