KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs international arrivals to boost the local economy as the state tourism industry has suffered badly in the past two years.
The Sabah Association and Tour and Travel Agents (Satta) chairman Datuk Seri Winston Liaw said though there were improvements from the reopening of interstate travel, industry players however felt that purchasing power remains weak.
To jumpstart the international arrivals, Satta hopes the relevant authorities will approve the application submitted by Scoot Air to resume the Singapore to Kota Kinabalu sector.
Satta made the call following a virtual conference with Singapore Scoot Airlines general sales manager Lawrence Ho Boon Hong and his team today.
Also invited to discuss the resumption of Singapore to Kota Kinabalu direct flights were Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Noredah Othman and its senior marketing managers Josephine Chai and Shirley Ho.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Sabah Chapter manager Kennedy Fung in echoing the call by Satta said Scoot Air had planned to fly direct from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu, and therefore would seek regulatory approvals from the appropriate government departments.
They fly from Singapore to Langkawi and Kuching with three flights per week starting from Dec 3, 2021, as well as daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Ipoh.
"With Kota Kinabalu in their schedules, our Sabah tourism will receive a much-needed boost during these difficult times," said Fung.