KUALA LUMPUR, 7 February 2024: Sabah Tourism Board (STB) and AirAsia are developing the framework for a strategic partnership that will propel Sabah’s tourism industry to new heights.
The initiative stems from discussions between a delegation from STB led by its chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, and AirAsia’s management team led by chief executive officer Bo Lingam held at AirAsia’s corporate headquarters in Sepang on Monday.
Both sides agreed on a comprehensive five-year master plan with the proposed Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to be formalised after the Chinese New Year. Core elements of the plan focus on a collaborative effort to promote Sabah and lure more international tourists to the state. A team of senior officials from both sides has been tasked to work on the proposed MoC.
One of the priorities is to expand international routes and develop Kota Kinabalu International Airport’s Terminal 2 to meet a potential surge in demand.
The latest partnership moves between the airline and the state’s tourism board follow recent discussions between Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and AirAsia’s co-founders Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun and Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.
Present at the latest round of talks were STB Board of Directors member Datuk Tan Kok Liang, STB’s newly-appointed chief executive officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit; STB deputy chief executive officer Tay Shu Lan, and marketing manager Zarinah Amiludin.
AirAsia representatives attending the discussions included deputy group chief executive officer Datuk Chester Boo Chee Soon, group chief commercial officer Karen Chan, and chief revenue management and network planning officer Paul Carroll.
During the meeting, Joniston and Bo emphasised the importance of ensuring that any agreements reached would be mutually beneficial and achievable.
“The focus is on creating a partnership that uplifts the tourism sector and fosters a positive and sustainable relationship between Sabah and AirAsia,” said Joniston. “This will ensure whatever partnership we establish can deliver tangible benefits for Sabah’s tourism industry while also aligning with AirAsia’s strategic objectives.”
On upcoming development, AirAsia shared plans to launch eight new routes into Sabah this year. The routes include Jakarta, Denpasar, Manado, Shanghai, Osaka, and Incheon.
Throughout 2023, Bo said AirAsia has flown over 2 million passengers to Sabah. He expressed AirAsia’s willingness to collaborate closely with Sabah and reiterated AirAsia’s readiness to support initiatives aligned with Sabah’s interests as well as its priorities.
Currently, AirAsia has 12 domestic and nine international routes. The international routes are Singapore, Manila, Taipei, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Beijing, and Hangzhou.
In December 2023, the low-cost airline operated an impressive schedule of 51 weekly international flights and over 280 weekly domestic flights.
For more information on Sabah’s tourism, visit www.sabahtourism.com.
(Source: STB)
