KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s interior districts of Tenom and Keningau are hidden tourism gems offering authentic cultural, agricultural and community-based experiences beyond the state’s famed islands and nature attractions.
This was the view of the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Sabah Chapter after it organised a familiarisation tour for 30 tour operators to explore the region’s diverse tourism offerings, ranging from coffee culture and agrotourism to eco-tourism and Murut heritage.
MCTA Sabah chairman Vincent Sia said the trip, supported by the Sabah Tourism Board, highlighted the untapped tourism potential in the state’s interior districts.
“Tenom and Keningau offer unique experiences through agrotourism, culture and community-based tourism. Through initiatives like this, we hope more tourism stakeholders will collaborate to develop and promote these destinations to international markets,” he said.
Sia said attractions such as the Murut Cultural Centre, Sabah Agricultural Park, Yit Foh Coffee Factory, Tenom Hakka Farm, Baxter Farm, and community-based tourism sites such as Kampung Rantai Apin-Apin in Keningau remain largely untapped.
“These visits allowed us to experience the region’s natural landscapes, agricultural heritage and distinctive rural lifestyle,” he said, adding that the familiarisation tour was in line with the Visit Malaysia 2026 and Visit Sabah 2027 campaigns.
He said the Sabah MCTA aimed to continue promoting the state’s diverse tourism portfolio beyond its well-known beaches and wildlife.
“The interior districts have great potential to enrich Sabah’s tourism landscape further,” he added.
The familiarisation trip, held last Friday (March 6) to Sunday, was also attended by the association’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic partner, Hong Kong movie star Hugo Wong, whose first-hand experience of Sabah’s interior tourism offerings could help promote the state’s tourism products to the Hong Kong and Greater China markets.
The delegation also included MCTA representative Lawrence Wong.
