KOTA KINABALU: A holiday carnival bringing ample choices for one to explore and experience tourism excitement is here in Sabah until Sunday.
Held at the Imago Shopping Mall centre atrium, the Star Karnival Cuti-Cuti Malaysia (SKCCM) 2026 three-day event, which started on Friday, is featuring 41 booths ranging from tourism products and attractive travel promotions to engaging activities.
This will provide Malaysians with greater opportunities to discover and experience the diverse destinations and offerings available across the country, as visitors can look forward to exclusive holiday packages, travel deals, stage performances, interactive activities and exciting lucky draws featuring various travel-related prizes.
When officiating at the event, Kota Kinabalu MP Datuk Chan Foong Hin said Sabah continues to be one of Malaysia’s most distinctive tourism destinations, offering exceptional natural landscapes, rich biodiversity, cultural heritage and diverse travel experiences.
“Through initiatives such as SKCCM 2026, Tourism Malaysia aims to inspire more Malaysians to explore destinations within our own country.
“The carnival also serves as a platform to promote domestic travel, including interstate and intra-state journeys, while enabling tourism industry players to showcase their offerings and engage with consumers,” he said.
Chan said the success of the tourism industry cannot just depend on one party, but it is a teamwork effort involving various agencies and departments that complement each other to make the sector flourish.
He said for Sabah, there are many attractive hidden gems to explore not only for the locals, but also for Malaysians from other states.
Sabah is the third stop for this carnival after Kuantan and Johor Bahru, and will continue to Seberang Perai (Penang), Bandar Sunway (Selangor) and Kuching (Sarawak).
The Sabah features participation from various tourism and lifestyle partners, including travel agencies, accommodation providers, attractions and experience operators from across Malaysia.
Among the participating exhibitors are adventure and attraction providers such as Aquaria KLCC and KL Hop-On Hop-Off, hospitality brands including Lotus Desaru Beach Resort, Raia Hotels and Dairy Farm Kundasang, as well as local tourism and cultural offerings featuring culinary products such as Nasi Dagang Atas Tol and traditional batik arts.
Visitors have the opportunity to explore holiday packages, discover new destinations, experience local flavours and engage with tourism industry players under one roof.
The carnival also features interactive activities, stage performances and lucky draws with attractive travel prizes, including great deals on Batik Air domestic flight tickets, shopping vouchers and tourism packages.
Also present were STAR Media Group Bhd Chief Executive Officer Chan Seng Fatt and Tourism Malaysia Senior Director (Management) Wizani Rosmin and Tourism Malaysia Senior Director Mohd Roslan Abdullah.
On June 24, Tourism Malaysia, in collaboration with Star Media Group Berhad (SMG), launched the Star Karnival Cuti-Cuti Malaysia 2026, a nationwide tourism initiative aimed at boosting domestic travel.
It also aims to strengthen industry participation and showcase Malaysia’s diverse attractions in support of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
The carnival, themed "Discover, Experience, Explore", is expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors nationwide.
