PBS Assemblyman of Kiulu Datuk Joniston Bangkuai has been retained as Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Chairman, ending speculation over his position in the State’s main agency driving tourism.
His term ended on Nov 15 last year.
The reappointment was disclosed by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew during a Sabah Tourism Appreciation Night here.
Joniston, who is also Assistant Minister to Liew, has been widely credited for pushing Sabah tourism with a particular focus on the development of rural tourism.

STB also has a new chief executive officer with the appointment of Julinus Jeffery Jimit, who replaces Noredah Othman.
Noredah is the CEO of the newly formed Sabah Convention Bureau under the same Ministry.
It is understood that Noredah will take over the just created Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (Mice) unit under the Ministry.
Liew assured Sabah tourism players of her Ministry’s commitment through STB to work together to facilitate Sabah’s tourism growth, and reaffirmed the pledge to ensure that preservation, sustainability and respect for Sabah’s land remained a high priority.
In her speech, she said the synergy between STB’s promotional efforts and the tourism players’ professional services had allowed the State to achieve its target of 2.2 million arrivals last year.
“As of October, we were already at 2.1 million arrivals. Hence, I am confident that as we ensure economic growth in this sector, we can vie for 2.8 million tourists for 2024, with an anticipated revenue of RM5.6 billion from tourism,” she said.
Liew said the State’s top three markets post-pandemic 2019 versus 2023 were China, South Korea and Brunei.
She said as of 2023, Sabah had 63 of the 87 flights from China reinstated after the pandemic.
“That is already more than half and I would like to thank not just the airlines for ensuring this route accessibility but key agents who had contributed to this success,” she said.