Cruise tourism returns to Sabah

By TIN Media | Sabah Published 1 year ago on 17 February 2023
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SABAH:

With the arrival of the Seabourn Encore ship, which brought over 1,000 passengers, including staff members, to the Land Below the Wind, cruise tourism has returned to Sabah.

On Wednesday morning, the cruise ship sailed into international seas and docked at Sabah Port. Its most recent stop was on the Philippine island of Boracay.

The last cruise to dock in Sabah will be in 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic-related shutdown of international borders and tourism.

Before the Seabourn Encore departed from Sabah Port at 6 p.m. on its way to its homeport in Singapore, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) crew was on hand to greet and give goodie bags to cruise passengers who would be spending the night in Kota Kinabalu.

The return of the cruise tourism sector, according to STB Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman, is a positive indication that Sabah is still a sought-after travel destination for cruisers.

"This year, eight cruise ships are expected to arrive, and Sabah may anticipate a rise in the number of tourists traveling there.

"By enabling passengers to experience the city and adjacent attractions, the return of cruise ship tourism can aid in promoting Sabah as a vacation spot to a wider audience.

Cruise ships frequently stop at numerous locations on a single itinerary, and the exposure Sabah receives as part of this route may persuade travelers to think of Sabah as a stand-alone vacation destination, the expert claimed.

Norisah emphasized the critical necessity to tap into the cruise sector for the state to diversify its tourism industry by claiming that cruise ship tourism had generated tens of thousands of visitors to Sabah.
This is a chance to offer new goods, particularly in the city center for cruise guests. Cruise ships also dock in Sandakan, so this is not just a problem in Kota Kinabalu.

In 2019, Sabah welcomed the most cruise ships, with 26 ships and 37,431 passengers.

Compared to 17 cruise ships and 23,474 passengers in 2017, Sabah had 21 cruise ships and 21,738 passengers in 2018.

Sabah received five cruise ships and 9,140 passengers between January and February 2020.


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