TIKET.COM International Business Vice President Sara Elorza Susanto said ‘sustainable tourism’ is an overused buzzword that most travellers barely understand, pointing out that what they actually want is an authentic experience and quality.
“Sustainability has become a widely used term in tourism without most travellers fully understanding its meaning,” she said at the 10th Malaysia Digital Economy Forum 2026, here, recently.
“It is a very hyped word today and I am not so sure if everyone understands the meaning of sustainable tourism,” said Sara, who was among the invited panellists at the forum’s Pillar 4 discussion on Digital Tourism and Smart Destination, held at the ITCC Shopping Mall here.
The event is organised by the Malaysia Digital Chamber of Commerce Sabah Chapter.
She said what mattered to customers was not the label itself but the improved quality of the product it produced.
“When we say sustainability, it means that we need to make the product better. If the customer has one of these experiences, they stay longer, and they go out from the mass tourism destinations.
“At the end, the product becomes better. And that is what the customer is actually caring for,” she said.
Additionally, Sara said destination management organisations (DMOs) and online travel agencies (OTAs) are not in competition but complementary to each other.
“The DMOs are the experts in creating the desire. For us OTAs, we are a little bit closer to the next step of the travel journey, which is when that desire becomes an intent. We are complementary to each other, it is not one over the other,” she said.
She also noted that travellers are increasingly drawn to Sabah for its unique offerings.
“Sabah is super rich in nature, in culture, in biodiversity. Something really unique that cannot compare to anywhere else.
“Travellers are not looking for products, they are looking for the experience, something they can bring back home, a memory,” she said, pointing out that this extended beyond Kota Kinabalu, with travellers appreciating the chance to go into the outskirts and experience local life.
On what the priority should be for the tourism sector in the next two years, she said Artificial Intelligence in some form is the clear technology priority going forward.