KOTA KINABALU: Sabah remains supportive of initiatives that strengthen agrotourism, empower rural communities, and expand agriculture-linked economic opportunities, says Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.
The Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister said such efforts were in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development agenda, which lists agriculture, tourism and manufacturing as interconnected pillars of growth.
“Agriculture provides the foundation; tourism adds value through visitor experiences and market reach; while manufacturing supports downstream activities and value-added products.
“In this context, agro-tourism represents a natural connection between these sectors,” he said when launching the Sabah Leisure Farms and Agricultural Tourism Forum.
At the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed to strengthen agriculture and tourism relations between Sabah and Taiwan through tourism promotion, knowledge exchange and training opportunities.
Meanwhile, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the state has revised its tourism strategy amid shifting geopolitical tensions, rising costs and changes to airline capacity.
He said the planning would be guided by a flexible framework that allows continuous assessment of global developments, mainly those affecting air connectivity and international travel demand.
“We are already seeing these changes impacting airline capacity, with route suspensions and reduced frequencies affecting connectivity into Kota Kinabalu.
“We are closely monitoring developments to ensure our tourism planning remains responsive,” he said.
Jafry said as of March, tourist arrivals to Sabah are still on track to hit the original target of four million.
