Sabah and AirAsia team up to boost tourism

Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai presenting a souvenir gift to AirAsia Group chief executive officer Bo Lingam during a meeting at the airlines headquarters in Sepang.

KOTA KINABALU: A comprehensive master plan to promote direct links with AirAsia to Sabah is on the cards, says the state's Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister.

Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) and the airline have agreed to develop a strategic partnership plan to propel the state's tourism industry.

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This initiative was discussed between the STB delegation led by Bangkuai and the AirAsia management team led by its chief executive officer Bo Lingam at the airline's corporate headquarters in Sepang on Monday (Feb 5).

According to a statement from STB, both parties agreed on a five-year master plan with the proposed memorandum of collaboration (MoC) to be formalised after the Chinese New Year.

The proposed collaborative effort would promote Sabah and lure more tourists, with senior officials from both parties set to work on the MoC.

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The plan extends to expanding international routes and potentially developing Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 2 to meet the surging demand.

The meeting was a follow-up to the recent discussion between Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and AirAsia co-founders Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun and Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

“The focus is on creating a partnership that will uplift the tourism sector and foster a positive and sustainable relationship between Sabah and AirAsia.

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“This is to ensure that whatever partnership we establish will deliver tangible benefits for Sabah's tourism industry while aligning with AirAsia's strategic objectives,” said Bangkuai.

On upcoming developments, AirAsia shared plans to launch eight new routes into Sabah this year. These include Jakarta, Denpasar, Manado, Shanghai, Osaka and Incheon.

Bo said AirAsia flew more than two million passengers into Sabah last year.

Currently, AirAsia has 12 domestic and nine international routes to Sabah.

The international routes are Singapore, Manila, Taipei, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Beijing and Hangzhou.