KOTA KINABALU: Sabah and Kedah plan to jointly develop new products to boost both states’ tourism sectors.

       Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said this was necessary to understand the motivations and behaviour of tourists visiting both states.

       “We want to attract as many domestic visitors as possible to Sabah, so we need to know what Kedah people like to tailor a package to their needs, and vice versa,” he said in a statement on Saturday (March 12).

       He said the collaboration made sense as both Sabah and Kedah were popular among international tourists.

       Joniston said it would also benefit both states if they were able to find a way to channel tourists from one state to another, for example from Langkawi to Sabah.

       The Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman said it was also collaborating with other states to cross-promote one another’s destinations, and is open to sharing expertise and ideas to reinvigorate the industry.

       On Friday (March 11), STB represented by chief marketing officer Tay Shu Lan hosted a dinner for a delegation from the Kedah State Economic Planning Division and Kedah Tourism.

       The delegation of 15 officers had met with the STB team led by chief financial officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit earlier in the day for a discussion and to exchange ideas.

       Kedah State Economic Planning Division deputy director (sectoral) Faisal Rizal Mohammad said the objective of the visit was to gain an in-depth understanding of STB's strategic management.

       They also discussed the possibility of engaging with STB to develop new tourism products for both states and conduct crossover promotions.

       “For instance, Kedah is well-known for its rice cultivation, while Sabah is famous for its beautiful seas," he said.

       Faisal said Kedah was also developing community-based tourism (CoBT) on its islands of Sonsong, Telur and Bidan, which boast beautiful corals.

       “It is the goal of the Kedah government to help the community manage the islands so they can generate sustainable income through CoBT,” he added.

       He said the visitors hoped to gain knowledge for this purpose from STB’s achievements in building CoBT products and boosting tourism on protected islands.