KOTA KINABALU: Food tourism is a niche that should be explored and developed further in Sabah, says Datuk Seri Christina Liew.
The state Tourism, Culture and Environment minister said this following the exceptional success of the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) Ramadhan Buffet 2025, serving 850 Asian Continental dishes over this past month.
After taking part in the Ramadhan Buffet at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on Thursday (May 27), she noted that the extraordinary activity was a crowd-puller, with an average of 1,650 local and international diners every night throughout the fasting month.
Liew said food tourism is yet another growing dimension of Sabah's booming tourism industry, given its reputation as a food paradise, other than being renowned for its nature, adventure, diving and wildlife tourism.
"We can also make Sabah a destination for food tourism. I believe food tourism packages will attract more tourists to the state which is already a popular travel destination, especially those who are in quest of a unique culinary experience," she said.
The month-long buffet featuring local, international, and Menu DiRaja (that is, menus served at the Istana) lasts until Saturday (March 29).
Liew said that the food tourism industry will create more jobs and boost the local economy by triggering the need to increase agricultural production (with an emphasis on food production) and reinvigorate the food supply chain.
"Sabah is a potpourri of different cultures. SICC can create 850 menus daily by virtue of our ethnic and cultural diversity. On top of it, we have a team of culinary experts," said SICC chief executive officer Datuk Rosmawati Lasuki, when met at the venue.
In fact, SICC with its "Taste of The World" Ramadhan Dinner Buffet offering 850 menus, had made its way into the Asia Book of Records last year for "Maximum Dishes Prepared of International Cuisines", she said.
