Sabah expects more Taiwanese tourists

KOTA KINABALU: Taiwanese tourist arrivals in Sabah are expected to increase by about 50% this year due to more direct flights from there, said the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment.

Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming said Tigerair Taiwan had become the fourth airline to operate direct flights between the island and Sabah.

“This augurs well for tourist arrivals.

“Last year, we received 41,000 visitors from Taiwan, a 31% increase over the 2014 figure,” he said when welcoming the inaugural Tigerair Taiwan flight at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport yesterday. Also present were the airline’s chief executive officer Kwan Yue and Sabah Tourism chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

Kota Kinabalu is the first Malaysian destination for Taiwan’s first low-cost carrier.

Kwan said the airline was confident that the four weekly direct flights would be well-received.

He said that Tigerair Taiwan was also expecting more Malaysians to use its services to Tokyo and Nagoya.

“Sarawakians too will no longer need to go to Kuala Lumpur before flying to Taiwan or Japan,” he added.

Source: The Star