More promotion of Sabah as a tourism destination is needed in China, says state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.

She said that the feedback received from tourism industry players during her recent visit to Xi'an, Shanghai and Beijing found that most young Chinese adults were only familiar with Kuala Lumpur when Malaysia was mentioned.

However, she added that she is optimistic this will change after her tourism-boosting series of meetings with government officials and airline representatives in China that ended on Sunday (July 9).

"I am upbeat about the outcome of my meetings with stakeholders in the key cities, and anticipate a further increase in the number of Chinese tourist arrivals in Sabah,” said Liew in a statement.

"All parties concerned can reap the benefits of reciprocal tourism if we are focused and collaborate to heighten our tourism activities in promoting each other's interests for mutual gain," she added.

Liew said that there should be Shanghai-Tawau flights in the near future seeing the rebound in outbound tourism.

She added that she welcomes AirAsia's proposal to set up an office in Beijing to aggressively promote Sabah as a preferred tourist destination, and to create a social media platform for young people - like TikTok- to generate publicity for the state.

According to AirAsia China general manager Frank Tang Ting, AirAsia had operated 28 weekly direct scheduled flights from China to Kota Kinabalu during the pre-Covid-19 period versus the present as of July 1, 2023.

There were 14 flights weekly from Shenzhen, seven flights weekly from Guangzhou and another seven weekly flights from Wuhan.

Currently, AirAsia has a total of 36 direct weekly flights from China - including Hong Kong - to Kota Kinabalu

The breakdown is 10 weekly flights from Hong Kong, seven weekly flights from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing each and another five weekly flights from Wuhan.

During her visit to China, Liew hosted a lunch session with among others, the director of Tourism Malaysia Beijing Razali Tuan Omar, Tang Ting, Carl Wang (manager sales of Malaysia Airlines Beijing), Xiao Peng (Beijing A-mei Express International Travel Service), Claudia Wang (Silk Road International Arts Centre) and Hu Jian Rong (Zheng Tong Guang Mai Travel).

During the meetings, Liew emphasised the need to simplify the visa application process so that Malaysia-bound travellers will find it hassle-free.

Razali had informed Liew that the number of visas issued to Chinese tourists travelling to Malaysia has increased since the international borders were reopened.

For example, in March 2023, a total of 72,975 visas were issued whereas in April and May 2023, some 87,191 visas and 100,165 visas were issued, respectively, he said.

Liew also hailed Malaysia Airlines' proposal to reserve some 20 diving permits for each flight, as an incentive for diving enthusiasts, among others.

"This attractive offer will lure leisure travellers and adventure seekers to world-renowned diving destinations in Sabah," she said.

Throughout her visits, she has been promoting Kunak (Sabah's east coast town, about 58km from the Tawau Airport) as another tourist destination for visitors to explore its natural attractions.

"Interestingly, Kunak has a relatively untapped diving spot where its exotic marine life is comparable with that of the famous Sipadan Island," Liew said.