ASEAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sabah chapter president Datuk Nordin Ening (second right) sat with Almaty City Entrepreneurs Chamber deputy director ALibek Urazov (third left) over tourism and business talk, recently.
KOTA KINABALU: Kazakhstan is showing increasing interest in Sabah as both a tourist destination and an investment hub.
Asean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Sabah chapter president Datuk Nordin Ening shared this following his recent three-day mission to Kazakhstan, during which he met with Kazakh government officials, Tourism Malaysia representatives in Kazakhstan, and Malaysia’s Trade Commissioner.
"There are encouraging signs that Sabah could play a bigger role in attracting Kazakh tourists and investors. With Southeast Asia gaining popularity among Kazakh travellers amid instability in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Sabah, particularly Kota Kinabalu and Semporna, has emerged as a potential destination of choice.
"Currently, most Kazakh tourists visit only Langkawi, but Kazakh authorities have expressed a strong desire to channel more visitors to Sabah," said Nordin.
He added that the visit was facilitated by an invitation from the Almaty City Entrepreneurs Chamber (Atameken).
Nordin noted that existing direct flights between Almaty and Kuala Lumpur, operating four times a week, have already helped spur interest. Discussions are underway for AirAsia to introduce a fifth weekly flight.
To fully capitalise on this opportunity, he said Sabah must intensify its tourism promotional efforts in the Kazakh market.
In return, Kazakh officials have extended offers for unique travel experiences in their country, including snow jet skiing and other winter attractions, as part of a potential tourism exchange initiative.
Beyond tourism, Kazakhstan is seeking business collaborations with Malaysian companies, especially from Sabah, in key sectors such as oil and gas, green technology, manufacturing, and mineral processing.
During the visit, Kazakh officials shared details of several large-scale projects open to foreign investment, including a conveyor belt manufacturing facility, a mineral waste processing initiative, and an oil field in the Atyrau region.
There is also growing interest in partnerships in Islamic banking, financial technology (fintech), and education.
Kazakhstan is keen to establish student exchange programmes and English language-focused collaborations with Malaysian universities, particularly Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), as part of its national shift away from Russian language dependency.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has already become a preferred destination for medical treatment among Kazakh citizens. This presents opportunities for Sabah’s private healthcare sector to develop customised medical tourism packages for this emerging market.
Nordin said ACCI Sabah will continue to serve as a platform connecting Sabah’s industries with investment and trade prospects in Kazakhstan.
"We will be organising follow-up efforts to facilitate the presence of Kazakh investors and tourists in Semporna and Kota Kinabalu, and vice versa," he said.
He also called on all relevant agencies in Sabah, including MATRADE, MITI, MIDA, the Sabah Tourism Board, and the private sector, to take full advantage of these new collaborative opportunities.
