KOTA KINABALU: Sabah tourism players are more upbeat with clear signs of physical travel resuming after the travel industry was paralysed following the Covid-19 pandemic.

       The state has been named Malaysia's Favourite Destination by MATTA and the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) is making preparations for a comeback at the upcoming MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur from Nov 20-21.

       State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister cum STB chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said MATTA’s efforts to organise a physical travel fair was a boon for the tourism sector.

       “We are highly honoured to have Sabah selected by MATTA as Malaysia's Favourite Destination.

       "This month (November) itself, we already have 56 weekly flights from Malaysia Airlines and 98 weekly flights from AirAsia, all of which are full.

       “This shows people are now confident to travel. Our hotels and places of interest are also ready to accept visitors, especially from other states," he said, adding that 24 tour companies, resorts, and dive operators will join STB at the MATTA Fair to promote Sabah as a preferred holiday destination.

       He said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor would also grace the event on Nov 20 at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

       “Having the Chief Minister’s presence is also important because it indicates the state government’s commitment to seeing a speedy recovery of our tourism industry, which is one of our key focuses,” said Bangkuai at a virtual press conference about the fair with MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang.

       Bangkuai also noted the recent launching of the #MansauSabahBoostku campaign received tremendous response, with all available vouchers being fully redeemed in less than 15 hours.

       In collaboration with one of Malaysia's E-wallet service providers, the campaign intends to revitalise Sabah's tourism sector and related industries.

       “This type of response shows that many Malaysians are eager to explore our backyard. I hope that consumers who have successfully redeemed the voucher make full use of this initiative to get more value for their money, in addition to the available offers on Sabah packages throughout the MATTA Fair period,” he added.

       During the two-day MATTA Fair, STB will set up a pavilion in Hall 4 with 12 booths - the largest state pavilion.

       Bangkuai encouraged Malaysians to take advantage of MATTA Fair to plan a holiday to Sabah and discover all the attractions the state has to offer.

       Meanwhile, Tan said this would be Sabah’s third time participating in the annual MATTA Fair, adding he believes tourism promotions for the state will be a hit throughout the fair.

       “MATTA is targeting to receive 20,000 visitors to the fair and to generate RM25mil in domestic sales.

       “We are glad that 80% of the booths have been taken up, and we hope Malaysians will take this chance to explore travel packages offered by other states as well,” he said.