Sabah, Bali maximizing tourism, economic potential

KOTA KINABALU (Aug 18): The economic and tourism sectors in Sabah and Bali are expected to benefit from the resumption of direct flights between Kota Kinabalu and Denpasar.

Indonesia AirAsia inaugurated a new international flight connecting Denpasar to Kota Kinabalu on August 9, 2024. This route operates on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

President Director of Indonesia AirAsia, Veranita Yosephine Sinaga, said this is the second route connected to Kota Kinabalu after the Jakarta-Kota Kinabalu route which was inaugurated earlier in February.

“We hope that this latest route can increase opportunities for cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia to maximize the tourism and economic potential in each country,” she said.

According to Veranita, Bali is AirAsia’s second largest hub after Jakarta which serves flights to Kuala Lumpur, Perth, Bangkok and Singapore.

“We hope this route can be an alternative for foreign tourists visiting Bali to continue their trip to Kota Kinabalu, which is in Sabah, Malaysia,” she said.

Veranita added that since the opening of the Jakarta-Kota Kinabalu route in February, response from passengers is quite high with occupancy rate reaching more than 94 percent.

“We hope to repeat the success of the previous route to Kota Kinabalu. Through the inauguration of this flight, we are ready to welcome Kota Kinabalu tourists to enjoy Bali and other attractive destinations in Indonesia through direct flights from Bali to Labuan Bajo, Kupang and Lampung,” Veranita said.

AirAsia Malaysia started flying from Kota Kinabalu to Denpasar a few years back before stopping the route.
Indonesians are the third largest group of visitors to Sabah based on data from the Immigration Department of Sabah in 2023 while data from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics revealed Malaysians topped the tourist arrival to Indonesia in 2023.

Sabah’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew said the resumption of the Kota Kinabalu-Denpasar flight is another major advancement for the Sabah tourism industry. She emphasized that Indonesia is an important focus market in the ASEAN region, and through these additional flights from Indonesia after Jakarta, it will definitely improve connections and promote easier access to Sabah.

“It will also strengthen the economic and friendly relations between the two countries in terms of tourism, trade, as well as cultural exchange,” said Liew.

AirAsia, she said, is a strong airline partner with the Sabah Tourism Board. Working closely with the Sabah government, she said the airline is adding more direct flights to Sabah, helping to build Sabah’s position as a favored vacation destination.

“Bali is a fast-growing destination, and this route also paves the way to access another focus market for Sabah, which is Australia, as travelers from that country can potentially reach Sabah via Bali. This opens up opportunities for further collaboration with AirAsia to tap into this market,” the minister added.

Sabah tour operator Connie Chong welcomed the Kota Kinabalu-Denpasar flight.

She expects more people from Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei as well as tourists from China and Korea who are holidaying in Sabah to take advantage of the direct flight to visit the “Island of Gods”.

“It only takes two hours and 40 minutes to fly from Kota Kinabalu to Denpasar. There is no longer a need to transit in Kuala Lumpur to go to Bali which save a lot of time and expenses,” said the managing director of Funholiday Tours and Travel who brought the first group of visitors to Bali on the inaugural flight on August 9.

Connie also expects the people in Bali, especially tourists and expatriates, to make an escapade to the land below the wind.

Medical tourism in Sabah is also expected to be boosted by the new route.

Connie stated that Sabah can now offer an alternative for the people in Bali to seek medical treatment overseas besides in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore.

The plan to establish Sabah Health Tourism Council further shows the state is committed to lead the medical tourism industry as the demands for high-quality medical treatment at an affordable rate has catapulted Sabah to be a preferred destination for travel, healthcare and wellness.

Sabah has three private hospitals which cater to the medical needs of tourists from various countries in the region.

Jollence Lee last visited Bali 14 years ago. He is planning to revisit the island with his family end of this year.

“I will definitely visit this place again … There are so many places to explore, five days are not enough,” said the videographer from Inanam.

Jollence was one of the Kota Kinabalu-Denpasar inaugural flight passengers.

He shared that Bali is a relatively safe place for tourists.

“You rarely see any police but the security here is so far so good,” said the former tour guide.

As for Balinese food, he has no problem with it as it is similar to Malaysia’s.

Lily Edward witnessed great improvement in Bali’s hotel, infrastructure and transport facilities since her last visit in 2019.

She also believes tourists will take advantage of the direct flight to visit Sabah and Bali.

“Tourists will fly from Bali to Kota Kinabalu and then to Kuala Lumpur before returning home,” she pointed out.

Catherine Zang Fui Khiong and her daughter Weny Lim Xun Wei also grabbed the opportunity to visit Bali after they got wind of the inaugural flight.

This was Catherine’s second visit to Bali. The last time she went there for work. She decided to make a return visit with her daughter who had not visited the world’s renowned island before.

The two accountants hope the direct flight will bring more tourists to Sabah and Bali.

Chief Executive Officer of the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), Julinus Jeffery Jimit, said with more than 90 percent of arrivals to Sabah by air, there is significant post-pandemic travel demand for both domestic and international travel to Sabah.

“We believe flight connectivity will continue to increase by local and foreign airlines to Sabah. This is good for maintaining a vibrant tourism industry ecosystem in Sabah,” he said.

Balinese also welcome the direct flight and are looking forward to visit Sabah. Most of them only know about Kuala Lumpur but have not heard about Kota Kinabalu.

The owner of Putu Dewi Satyawati, Ibu Putu Dewi, is hoping to visit Sabah one day. She only transited at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport before.

Ibu Putu is operating a family restaurant at Bali Desa Swing which is the best place to experience jungle swing in Bali.

Gusti Ayu Trimyanti is also excited about the direct flight.

The cluster operational manager of ibis Bali Kuta only knows about Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Twin Towers.

Gusti Ayu is eager to climb Mount Kinabalu and visit the islands and beaches in Sabah.

She hopes the direct flight can help to bring more visitors to Bali.

Tourists are returning in big numbers to Bali after the pandemic but have yet to reach the pre-Covid level.

The business operators at Tanah Lot are hoping the direct flight will bring more visitors to the popular tourist and cultural destination.

Coconut seller Yaman Kasor and drink seller Sandra disclosed that tourists have not returned to the pre-Covid level yet.

“The tourists are back but the numbers are not as big before the pandemic,” said Yaman.

Sandra concurred, saying that the Chinese tourists are less than before.

“We still have many westerners here but Asians, in particular Chinese, have declined,” she pointed out.

Sabah and Bali are both renowned for their natural and cultural attractions as well as beautiful beaches.

The signature attractions in Sabah are Maliau Basin, Mount Kinabalu, Tanjung Aru beach, Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Semporna, Sipadan and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Bali’s popular areas to visit are Tanah Lot, Ubud, Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta and Legian, Sanur and Uluwatu.

Bali is often referred to as the “Island of the Gods” due to its strong association with Hinduism and the numerous temples and religious sites found across the island. Almost every house has a temple.