Sabah received 7,249 Indian tourists during the Jan – Sept 2024

With the latest arrival figure available now, Malaysia’s Sabah region has shown robust growth from the Indian market. Sabah has received 7,249 Indian tourists during the January – September 2024 period posting a significant jump in arrivals from last year’s nearly 6,000 Indian visitors for the whole year. The first three quarter growth over the corresponding period last year is over 60 percent.

With the Indian visitor arrival target set at over 10,000 for 2024, Sabah Tourism Board (STB) is also eyeing an ambitious over 60% growth for the current year that it looks well set to meet. The region’s pre-pandemic 2019 Indian visitor arrivals were also around 6,000 that it recovered last year.

India is projected to grow from 2023’s already strong 27.2 million outbound market size, to a staggering 50 million outbound travel market by 2030. Sabah is keen to corner a greater slice of this market.

To further strengthen its presence in India, STB has partnered with Blink Brand Solutions, in a joint marketing campaign. This collaboration aims to drive targeted campaigns and increase destination awareness. Speaking about the partnership, STB CEO Julinus Jeffery Jimit expressed optimism about the potential of the Indian market. “The growth numbers are very encouraging, but we are only beginning to tap into the enormous potential of the Indian outbound travel segment,” he said.

Furthermore, citing a McKinsey report, Jimit said, “By the end of this decade India will be a US$ 143.5 billion outbound travel market and that’s staggering. The same report also says that 70 percent of Indian outbound travellers chose nearby destinations. Therefore, clearly there is a great opportunity for us. By focusing on the India market, building destination awareness, both in the North and South, we believe that visits from India to Sabah can be enhanced.”

Situated in Malaysian Borneo, Sabah, the undiscovered jewel of Malaysia, is an ideal destination for Indian travellers seeking pristine beaches, exotic wildlife, and diverse cultural experiences.