The Covid-19 pandemic is a chance for the tourism industry, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, to reset the strategies to continue after the recovery stage.

He said Sabah's tourist destinations had a chance to recover from movement restrictions.

“The short-term plan is to revive tourism once the pandemic ends and all our industry players are waiting for this moment, ” he said during the official launch of Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Halatuju, which is the state’s five-year development plan.

He reminded leaders and officials that competition is strong since other countries rush to reopen international borders to attract tourists.

“That is why we need to be creative by fully utilising digital technology such as digital marketing, use of various apps and virtual reality.

“We must explore various safe travel methods that are trusted by the global citizens, such as via travel bubble, green lane or ‘Covid-19-free’ travel pass, ” said Hajiji.

The government wants to balance mass tourism and high-end tourism under the SMJ plan to reduce the dependence on the former.

“Therefore, new iconic attractions that are high impact must

“For example, the recently announced Lok Kawi Resort City which is an up and coming integrated development comprising resorts, shopping malls and a theme park, among others.

“At the same time, our main assets are the natural landscape and our endemic wildlife and marine life.

“Sustainability of our destinations and tourism products is one of the main focus under the SMJ plan, where the carrying capacity of each tourism destination must be introduced and enforced.

“This is to ensure these unique attractions can be preserved and are in prime condition, ” he said.