Sabah Tourism Ministry to mitigate impact of Iran war on industry

KOTA KINABALU (April 3): The Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is taking the necessary measures to counter the effects of the war in Iran on the tourism industry in Sabah.

Its minister, Datuk Jafry Ariffin, said his ministry plans to meet with tourism industry players to gather feedback before introducing any initiatives to ease their burden.

“This war is definitely affecting the industry. There have been some cancellations, but the numbers have not increased drastically yet.

“Fortunately, we do not receive a large number of visitors from Arab countries. Travellers from Europe can still fly here directly. Our main visitors are from China, Korea, Japan and Australia,” he said at a dialogue with the Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) on April 2.

Jafry added that he would set up a special committee to study the impact on the tourism sector.

Earlier, Jafry said Sabah’s tourism sector is already feeling the impact of rising fuel prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia, with connectivity and transportation among the most affected areas.

He said the situation, largely driven by global oil supply disruptions, has directly increased operational costs for industry players, particularly those reliant on transport services.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datuk Josie Lai, said a crisis management committee has been activated.

“In March, we did not receive any complaints or see a drop in numbers. However, we expect some decline in April, May and June. Industry players have already reported some cancellations from Europe. Hopefully, the China and Korea markets will remain strong.

“We want to ensure that industry players remain resilient. If they face problems, we will find solutions. Even if international tourist arrivals decline, we aim to sustain businesses through domestic promotion,” she said during the dialogue.

Present was SCCC president Datuk Frankie Liew who led a 15-member delegation to the dialogue to discuss current challenges and opportunities in Sabah’s tourism development.