Tourism Malaysia Sabah held an industry gathering to celebrate media practitioners who have greatly supported domestic tourism promotion activities throughout 2024 last 8th December at the KK Galaxy Bowl, Centre Point.

The event was attended by 40 media practitioners, including representatives from the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment,; the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), as well as tourism industry players in Sabah.

Tourism Malaysia Sabah director Haryanty Abu Bakar said that organising this event with the support of strategic cooperation from the airline MASWings aimed to express the bureau’s appreciation for the media who always provide support to Tourism Malaysia, especially in promoting attractive tourist destinations in the state of Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

Abu Bakar said: “Media engagement in promoting Malaysia will further complement the fast conversion and high-impact programmes planned by Tourism Malaysia for the domestic and international markets through strategic collaborations with airlines including on digital platforms, in addition to the implementation of sales missions and participation in tourism exhibitions.”

A vital partnership

Along with launching the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign, close cooperation with the media is very important to make this national agenda a success which targets the arrival of 35.6 million foreign tourists with an expected tourism income of RM147.1 billion and a total of 261 million domestic visitors with a targeted expenditure of RM115.2 billion.

Also, with the potential in the ecotourism and adventure segments, Sabah is in the best position to attract global tourist arrivals seeking authentic experiences. 

As of September 2024, Malaysia recorded 18.4 million international tourist arrivals, recording an increase of 27 percent compared to the same period in 2023.