Air Asia signs agreement with Sabah Tourism Board

AirAsia recently entered a strategic partnership with the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) to boost the region’s tourism industry over the next five years.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formally signed on 4 July. AirAsia deputy group CEO for airline operations Chester Voo Chee Soon and STB CEO Julinus Jeffery Jimit signed for their respective entities.

This partnership is set to bolster the Land Below the Wind’s status as a top-tier tourist hotspot by enhancing air connectivity between Sabah and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), as well as the larger Asean region, North Asia, and Oceania for the period of 2024-2028.

According to Sabah’s minister of tourism culture and environment Christina Liew: “We are pleased to establish this five-year strategic partnership with AirAsia where we will support in bridging the conversation between the airline and relevant stakeholders.

Liew remarked that Sabah became one of the top affordable travel destinations over the past several months. AirAsia played a crucial role here as it made this milestone possible.

In the first half of this year, Sabah welcomed 1.24 million tourists. Thanks to the partnership with AirAsia, the region hopes to attract a greater number of visitors from other Asian nations who can enjoy the unique experiences offered in Sabah.

Improved connectivity with the rest of Asia

AirAsia Group aims to enhance overall connectivity in Sabah by potentially launching 14 new exciting domestic and international routes including Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Sri Begawan, Kota Kinabalu-Perth, Tawau-Guangzhou, and Sandakan-Hong Kong.

These proposed routes will be subject to market review and evaluation over the course of the coming months to assess passenger demand, as well as regulatory approvals and other favourable market factors and conditions.

The partnership also includes greater collaboration between the airline and the tourism body to potentially develop the Kota Kinabalu International Airport as a regional aviation hub in the future.

A significant step towards expansion

For his part, AirAsia’s Voo said: “This partnership marks a significant step for us to expand our connectivity from our second biggest hub in Malaysia, providing more opportunities for our guests in the state to explore the world and for the world to get to know and fall in love with Sabah.”

AirAsia has flown nearly 80 million domestic and international travellers to and from Sabah since 2002. Voo added that his company looks forward to seeing this number grow exponentially through the STB partnership over the next five years.

Over the past year, AirAsia flights made up 60% of the market share for tourism in Sabah. This highlights the region’s potential as a major travel destination, and the increased connectivity that the partnership offers may bring in a greater number of foreign visitors. Through this, the STB hopes to foster cultural exchange, as well as mutual understanding and greater opportunities for economic growth within the region.