Lure UK holidaymakers with back-to-nature tourism, Sabah told

Bangkuai (right) meeting Zakri at the Malaysian Embassy.

LONDON: Sabah has been encouraged to adopt a more nature-oriented approach in its efforts to woo tourists from the United Kingdom.

Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Datuk Zakri Jaafar said feedback from UK holidaymakers indicated a strong preference for rural settings and unspoiled natural beauty.

"Sabah's Rural Community-Based Tourism is a remarkable asset, and the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) should actively promote it to the UK market," Zakri told state Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai after a briefing at the Malaysian Embassy here on Sunday (Nov 5).

The briefing was on Malaysia's participation in the three-day World Tourism Market (WTM) London 2023 conducted by Tourism Malaysia (International/AERO Market) senior director Iskandar Mirza.

Malaysia is among 180 countries participating in the global travel event.

In a statement issued in Kota Kinabalu, Bangkuai, who is also STB chairman, said the state was very happy with the support from the Malaysian Embassy and Tourism Malaysia's London office in promoting Sabah.

The highlight of Sabah's participation at WTM was the international unveiling of Sabah's UNESCO triple crown: Kinabalu National Geopark as a Unesco Global Geopark (declared in May 2023), the World Heritage Site (declared on Dec 2, 2000) and the Unesco Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve (declared on June 12, 2014).

Sabah is only one of three places with a Unesco triple crown, the other two being Jeju Island in South Korea and Shennongjia in China.