KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is leveraging its nature and wellness attractions to continue expanding its tourism market to Middle Eastern travellers as part of its market diversification efforts.
Speaking on STB’s participation in Saudi Arabia’s inaugural tourism summit, TOURISE 2025, Riyadh, chief executive officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit said the Middle East continues to emerge as a promising market for Sabah, supported by strong growth in tourist arrivals.
He said Sabah recorded 3,220 arrivals from the Middle East between January and September this year, compared to 1,498 arrivals in the same period last year.
“The sharp rise in arrivals shows growing awareness of Sabah among Middle Eastern travellers, who are increasingly drawn to immersive nature and wellness experiences.
"STB presence at the first TOURISE summit enabled us to highlight Sabah’s unique attractions to new audiences, including the Saudi Tourism Minister, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb,” Julinus said.
In this three-day summit from Nov 11-13, the STB delegation engaged with key tourism stakeholders and held targeted meetings with travel agencies and airlines.
These meetings saw Sabah’s offerings in nature, adventure, wellness, Muslim-friendly tourism, cultural experiences, and luxury nature retreats presented.
As part of efforts to enhance accessibility, STB has also initiated discussions with Middle Eastern carriers on the feasibility of establishing a direct scheduled charter route between Jeddah and Kota Kinabalu.
Preliminary talks are ongoing, with the proposed route expected to improve connectivity and create two-way travel opportunities between Sabah and Saudi Arabia, said Julinus.
STB will continue working with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) to explore arrangements for both inbound and outbound travel, supporting the potential establishment of a scheduled charter flight, he added.
