Sabah, Sarawak tapping into Singapore tourism market

SINGAPORE (July 20): Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew has urged the Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS) to be more aggressive in promoting Sabah as a desirable travel destination.

She made the call when officially launching the inaugural Borneo Festival Sabah and Sarawak in Singapore 2024 or Borneo Fest 2024, in short, at the Marina Square here on Saturday.

She said this initiative is a collaborative effort between Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS) and Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) for Sabah and Sarawak to tap into the untapped segment of the tourism market in Singapore.

Borneo Fest 2024 with the theme “I love Sabah and Sarawak”, was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment (KePKAS) and its agency, Sabah Tourism Board (STB) as well as the Sarawak Government.

“Borneo Fest 2024 is yet another chance for these two Borneo states to explore trade and tourism opportunities in the Singapore market.

“Today’s cultural celebration also serves as a platform to create awareness among Singaporeans that Sabah and Sarawak are located in East Malaysia.

“As always, we welcome Singaporeans to come and experience our unique tourism resources and the natural wonders of Sabah. Enchanting Sabah-North Borneo beckons you to come and explore her beauty and treasures.

“Air connectivity is not a problem as currently, there are 14 daily flights from Singapore to Sabah via AirAsia and Scoot, both budget airlines. The trip to Sabah is just two and a half hours away,” Liew said.

Based on feedback, the minister noted that most Singaporeans have never been to Sabah and Sarawak.

“Hence, Borneo Fest 2024 is most apt and timely to promote Sabah as a premier tourist destination by showcasing what we have to offer and thus encourage Singaporeans to visit our state, affectionately known as ‘The Land Below The Wind’, towards increasing the number of travellers from the Lion City and generating tourism receipts.”

On the target market performance based on the Singapore Tourism Update Report (prepared by the Sabah Tourism Board’s Research Division), Liew expressed concern that Singapore registered a decrease of 7.3 percent compared to last year’s situation, that is, from 13,449 arrivals for the January to May 2023 period, the figure dropped to 12,462 arrivals for the January to May 2024 period.

“Although Singapore has reached 122 percent of pre-pandemic levels, indicating a strong recovery, this market is showing a month-on-month decline for its visitor arrival growth since February and March, respectively, thus signalling a softer demand compared to the same month last year.

“Perhaps the Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS) would consider embarking on an aggressive promotion exercise as one strategy to reverse the current trend. There is ample room for improvement, and I believe your effort will yield positive results for the rest of the year,” she said optimistically.

Sabah, the second largest state in Malaysia, is home to 35 indigenous ethnic groups and 217 ethnic subgroups.

“I am confident that our connections, our connectedness through this Borneo Festival 2024 will further strengthen bilateral ties between Sabah and Singapore, and between Sarawak and Singapore.

“Sabah offers many types of tourism such as ecotourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, wildlife tourism, golf tourism, cultural tourism, and medical tourism,” Liew added.

Quoting travel writers, she said Sabah is rated as one of the top destinations for travellers seeking ecotourism or nature-based tourism where one can interact directly with nature, for example, the tropical rainforests.

“Do you know that the world’s tallest tropical tree is found in the rainforests of the Danum Valley Conservation Area? Recommended activities for ecotourism include mountain climbing, trekking or hiking, canoeing, snorkeling and diving.

“For your information, the San-Shui Golf Course in Tawau is one of Malaysia’s top golf courses. And for wildlife tourism, you can go on a wildlife safari along the Kinabatangan River on the east coast, among other options,” said the minister.

Meanwhile, Liew commended the Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore for the initiatives taken to promote Sabah in Singapore, despite being a relatively new entity.

From her observation, it was a good move to educate students on wildlife and environment conservation by organising a study trip to Sandakan, Sabah, for Singapore students from the School of Applied Science (ASC) of Temasek Polytechnic, with the support of Sabah Tourism Board (STB).

“I understand that this group of students visited tourist hot spots such as the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey.”

At this juncture, the minister suggested that STTOS expand its network of partners in Singapore and Sabah to bring trade and tourism promotional efforts to a new era as the demand for travel increases post-pandemic.

“Clearly, there remains much more to be executed, for instance, to capture the pool of Singaporeans who have yet to visit Sabah while persuading business owners to explore trade and investment opportunities in Sabah’s vibrant tourism industry,” she said.

Liew continued: “Do strive to make this ‘Land Below The Wind’ better known to our Singaporean friends, and woo potential visitors to make Sabah their preferred travel destination.

“I am certain that this is achievable through mounting more roadshows to introduce Sabah’s tourism products in Singapore, and organising more familiarisation tours for Singapore’s travel agents for exposure.

“We are strategically located in Southeast Asia, our famous Mount Kinabalu lies within Kinabalu Park, which is Malaysia’s first World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 2000, and we boast world renowned diving spots such as Sipadan Island. Maliau Basin, dubbed ‘The Lost World of Sabah’, is known for its pristine beauty and rich biodiversity. And from the ever popular Tanjung Aru Beach, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful sunset views in the world.”

Touching on the background of Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS), Liew said it has a humble beginning.

According to her, it was the Sabah State Government that mooted the idea of setting up this office to build economic linkages and bolster trade and tourism in Sabah.

“There was talk about this proposition in 2019 during my first term as Tourism Minister. By 2021, the process of registering the company to manage the office – STTOS Pte Ltd – had started, and the company was successfully registered in March 2022,” she recalled.

“Interestingly, the pioneer team comprising two Sabahan ladies – Wendy Clare Stephen from Tambunan and Rohzana Iskandar from Tuaran – worked from home when the office was under construction. They moved to the new premises in November 2022. The rest is history.”

Among the guests who attended the grand opening ceremony were Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Datuk Snowdan Anak Donald Lawan, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Singapore Datuk Dr Azfar Bin Mohamad Mustafa, Chairman of STATOS Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Morshidi, Member of the Board of Directors of Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS) cum Legal Adviser to the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof, and Member of the Board of Directors of Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS) cum Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Sabah, Josie Lai Mei Sing.

Also present were General Manager of Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore Wendy Clare Stephen, STTOS Administration and Finance Manager Rohzana Iskandar, and Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore Chew Chang Guan.