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KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism Board (STB) is shifting into high gear by returning to this year’s MATTA Fair as Malaysia's Favourite Destination. The two-day travel fair will be graced by Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor on Nov 20 at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Twenty tour companies, resorts, and dive operators will join STB at the MATTA Fair to promote Sabah as a preferred holiday destination. Most participants are representing travel associations from Sandakan. State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister cum STB chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said MATTA’s efforts to organize a physical travel fair after a long break from the pandemic are a boon for the tourism sector. (more…)

KIULU: Nestled against the backdrop of green mountains about 1o kilometres away from Pekan Kiulu here, lies a picturesque community-based tourism spot that awaits adventure seekers. The Lingga Eco Tourism (LET) offers visitors both extreme and relaxing nature activities. The site is surrounded by the gushing river of Kiulu, with its beautiful vista guaranteed to put visitors in an instant state of calm. Since its establishment in 2018, LET chairman Kait Lansangan said they received about 4,000 visitors, including independent travellers from Canada, United Kingdom, and Korea. Many of them were visitors who wanted to explore and experience an off-beat rural destination, he added. "Seeing the potential of operating a community-based tourism destination, the villagers worked together to create a hiking trail. The 7-kilometre Dapako Hill trail quickly became popular among local adventurers. “Many of them recorded their experience and promoted Dapako Hill on social media. Most of our international visitors came to know about LET via YouTube,” said Lansangan, adding tourism activity in Kampung Lingga has helped to bring income to the community.

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KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism Board is offering grants for researchers currently conducting or supervising tourism study in Sabah. Selected applicants will receive a total of RM20,000 for each research. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the grants were intended to provide researchers with the opportunity to contribute to the development of the state's tourism industry. Areas of interest for the study to be conducted are Mantanani Island, Mabul Island, Kiulu and Kadamaian. "It is our hope that this grant would benefit and encourage more studies to be done on areas such as tourism, which is one of the three main trusts in the Sabah Maju Jaya roadmap. "We believe the findings from these studies are beneficial in helping the state to create a holistic approach in improving the socioeconomic impact of the local communities as well as the environmental implication through tourism initiatives", he said in a statement. Jafry added that surveys and data were vital in many industries, including tourism, and believed the findings would provide better insight in formulating strategies to attract more visitors. Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman said the grant was in line with their effort to rejuvenate the industry in the wake of interstate travel and in preparation for the international border to be opened again. Interested applicants can visit https://tourism.sabah.gov.my/news-updates. Submission period closes on Oct 31. - New Straits Times

KOTA KINABALU: The quiet atmosphere at Minurod Campsite in Kiulu is lively again with people starting to visit rural tourist destinations since the inter-district travel ban was lifted in Sabah. With the reopening of tourism activities, many have planned outings with their family, such as going off-grid to explore Kiulu, a rural subdistrict known for its nature and serene river. Part of the bigger Tuaran district, Kiulu is located about 60km from the state capital.

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KOTA KINABALU: A shared passion for dinosaurs has brought three friends to rustic Kiulu, where they developed a one-of-a-kind family park called the Jurassic Land Kiulu. Built on a three-acre land and managed by Visiont Ventura company, the Jurassic Land Kiulu is set to become a much-awaited new eco-tourism product offering visitors a dinosaur safari adventure. (more…)