Sabah targets Middle East
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The Malaysian state of Sabah is aiming to lure major Middle Eastern airlines to the Borneo region in their holiday programmes and launch direct flights, according to a Bernama report.
Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Senior Research Manager, Allen Chia, was reported saying that Sabah was already included in Etihad Holidays’ programme, following talks between Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry and the Abu Dhabi-based airline in February this year.
“The challenge for us is to have direct access (from the Middle East region) to Sabah,” Chia was reported telling reporters at the Arabian Travel Market last week.
Sabah has been identified by Tourism Malaysia as one of several new destinations to be promoted as part of the agency’s marketing strategy. Last year, the state received 2.3 million visitors, including 701,000 foreign arrivals.
“At this moment of global economic crisis, our focus is on domestic and regional markets. At the same time, we are looking at new emerging markets in the Middle East and Asia Pacific,” Chia added.
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