If you are a tourist in Sabah, you will now be able to choose popular seafood outlets offering dishes such as salted egg squid, butter prawn or Kam Heong crab while exploring its districts.

A tourism guide featuring seafood restaurants in Sabah and Labuan was launched by Tourism Malaysia in Sandakan on Wednesday (Aug 3).

Called the "SeeEatFood" Trail Fun Map, the pamphlet showcases gastronomic tourism products across Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Tawau and Labuan.

The initiative is another effort to attract tourists to Sabah and Labuan, famous for seafood due to the long coastline, allowing proprietors to offer fresh catch from the sea at attractive prices.

In a statement, Tourism Malaysia Sabah director Ednie Rahma Ab Rahim said gastronomic tourism is one of the main components in domestic tourism and should be given focus in Sabah the same way the rich culture and other ecotourism products are getting attention.

“We hope this pamphlet will be a guide for those visiting Sabah and Labuan to make it easier for them to pick seafood dishes in the listed restaurants.

“Smartphone users only need to scan the QR code to obtain the trail fun map from the Tourism Malaysia website at www.malaysia.travel, Tourism Malaysia Sabah Facebook page or the Tourism Information Centre located at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport,” she said.

The launch of the pamphlet was part of a four-day, three-night familiarisation trip in Sandakan that began on Sunday (July 31) involving 26 participants from the media, five state tourism agencies and officers from Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and MASWings.

Participants were also taken on the Sandakan Heritage Trail, and explored popular destinations in the district like the Sepilok orang utan rehabilitation centre, rainforest discovery centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and Kinabatangan river cruise.