KOTA KINABALU: Sabah hopes to hear some good news soon regarding the issue of exorbitant air ticket prices after a recent meeting between the Transport Ministry and airline companies.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said he was told of the meeting and hoped it would translate to a reduction in airfares.
“Or if not, at least more options for people to travel back to their hometowns, or for leisure domestic travel at lower cost,” he told a press conference on Thursday (April 14).
He said with the borders just reopened and the tourism industry only starting to revive, it did not make sense for airline companies to hike up prices so much.
Jafry said for the reopening of borders, Sabah was targeting between a million and 1.3 million tourists this year.
“I was told that today, the airfare from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau alone costs RM1,300 for one airline. This is ridiculous... too much,” he said.
He added that every industry including tourism was trying to restart, and the sector would be greatly affected if airlines refused to bring down their prices a little during the festive season.
Jafry said while he understood that it might just be business strategy for the airline industry, especially with Hari Raya Aidilfitri around the corner, there had to be a way for people to return to their hometowns without having to pay so much.
“We urge the authorities to take action accordingly,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said Sabah is expected to welcome visitors from Singapore and Brunei later this month.
“We are also meeting with the Taipei (Economic and Cultural Office) and our South Korean counterparts to see how we can bring visitors here from their countries,” Jafry added.
He was optimistic that these goals can be achieved since Sabah is among the top choices to visit for Taiwanese and South Koreans.
On whether Sabah was considering to do away with various standard operating procedures such as requiring travellers to take Covid-19 RTK tests, he said it might be an option in future.