Sabah's Malaysia My Second Home expected to start by next month, says state govt

KOTA KINABALU: The much-anticipated Sabah-Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah-MM2H) programme is expected to be implemented by next month.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said this programme will be implemented after several amendments are put in place, adding that the state government is in the process of finalising its terms and conditions.

"The state Cabinet has approved the amendments, and once these are gazetted, we will have the terms and conditions posted on the programme's website for potential applicants," she said.

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Liew said this during the question-and-answer session at a recent Tourism Industry Players Engagement Session 2024 here in response to a question from Sandakan Tourism Association president Teo Chee Kim.

Teo had asked about the qualifying criteria for participation in the Sabah-MM2H programme.

In September 2022, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had said Sabah would launch its own iteration of the MM2H programme once adjustments and final details were firmed up.

He had said Sabah’s programme would not follow the new requirements set out under the federal MM2H programme.

During the engagement session, Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit said that frequent engagement with tourism industry stakeholders is crucial in resolving issues affecting the industry.

He said the recent engagement showed the ministry's commitment via its agency STB to ensure embracement of one vision and purpose towards establishing a better tourism ecosystem in Sabah.

"We will continue to engage with tourism stakeholders on a quarterly or half-yearly basis as advised by Datuk Christina as this synergy can become a pillar of strength for success under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development agenda,” he said.

"Together with industry players, I believe we can achieve the set target for tourism growth in 2024," Julinus said at the closing of the first engagement session of the year," added Jimit.