Sabah has recorded about 20,000 tourist arrivals from Brunei between January and September this year, said the chief executive officer of Sabah Tourism.
In an interview with The Bruneian, Noredah Othman said that Kota Kinabalu is one of the most popular holiday destinations with hopes that visitors would explore more places beyond the capital city such as Kudat in the northern region of Sabah.
“Sabah Tourism team is working hard to promote Sabah as a tourist destination and with the rise in the tourism industry since the ease of COVID-19 restrictions, more and more people are traveling,” she said.
Among the board’s promotional efforts were its participation in the recent Sabre Travel Fair held in OneCity and a familiarisation trip to Sabah for local media as well as travel agents.
Some nine individuals had the opportunity to discover the West Coast of Sabah with Tourism Malaysia Brunei Darussalam in collaboration with Sabah Tourism recently.
They visited Kudat and Kota Belud with the aim to boost community-based tourism in those areas particularly engaging with communities in villages such as Kampung Tajau Laut and Polumpong, among others.
As Sabah is accessible via land from Brunei, the entourage departed for Kota Kinabalu using a coach for a wholesome journey to enjoy sceneries along the way and returned to the sultanate by air, giving them another taste of flight experience.
The four-day and three-night trip was led by Acting Director of Tourism Malaysia Brunei Darussalam Latifah Dato Haji Ismail as well as a member of Tourism Malaysia Brunei Darussalam.
Furthermore, the team had the chance to do some activities such as visiting the Rumah Terbalik, one of the famous attractions of Sabah, doing hotel site inspections at Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu and The Pacific Sutera Hotel as well as homestays such as Tommy’s Place and Usukan Cove.
Other exciting activities prepared for the group include visiting the Honey Bee Farm, Gong Making Centre and Pandan-Pandan Island while also doing water activities such as Sea Walking and Kayaking at the JSK Borneo Pontoon Reef.
“Sabah is just next door to Brunei and it is definitely worth it for Bruneians to come and visit us. They not only can enjoy the city but also the wildlife and natural scenery of the islands. We want Bruneians to explore Sabah while they have the chance,” concluded the ceo.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
