KOTA KINABALU: South Korea's Jin Air flight from Incheon to Kota Kinabalu with 185 passengers on board marked the resumption of direct flights to Sabah following the re-opening of borders on April 1.

       The passengers, who included Jin Air branch manager Park Jeong Hoon, arrived at 9.30pm on Thursday (May 26).

       Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said that the full flight from Korea was a positive indicator that South Koreans were anxious to visit the state.

       "We are confident that with the improved Covid-19 situation, South Koreans would want to come here as they did in the past," he said.

       Prior to the pandemic lockdowns, there were a total of 65 weekly flights from South Korean cities to Sabah.

       "We hope that the situation will return to the pre-Covid-19 arrival seen in Sabah.

       "We are also looking forward to receiving tourists from other destinations," he added.

       Jafry added that Sabah would work together with the Federal tourism ministry to further boost visitor arrivals as it would help impact the local economy and community positively.

       The South Korean carrier was the third foreign airline to resume direct flights to Kota Kinabalu after Singapore’s Scoot and Royal Brunei Airlines.

       Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Santhana Kumar, who was at the airport to greet the South Korean tourists, said that his ministry would continue to collaborate with the Sabah Tourism Board to promote Sabah and its new products to the Korean market.

       "In 2019, we had over 600,000 Koreans visiting Malaysia with about 390,000 of them making their way to Sabah. This is an indication that Kota Kinabalu is an essential destination," he added.