KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah has become one of the favourite tourism destinations for South Koreans.
In the first nine months of 2014, a total of 90,225 tourists from South Korea traveled to Sabah. This is in contrast with the 106,203 who visited the state throughout 2013.
The number of holidaymakers from South Korea is expected to increase in 2015 through various efforts taken by Tourism Malaysia, which includes a collaboration with South Korean low-cost carrier Jin Air.
COLLABORATION WITH JIN AIR
Jin Air is promoting Malaysia for a period of three months, and is expected to fly 15,738 passengers on 86 chartered flights to Malaysia until March 29.
“We are expecting some 380,000 South Koreans to visit Malaysia annually, particularly to Sabah,” said Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general Datuk Azizan Noordin.
Jin Air’s maiden flight from Incheon, South Korea to Kota Kinabalu last December carried 183 passengers and crew on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The airline offers seven flights a week during peak season and four flights a week during periods of low demand.
Azizan said the collaboration presented a win-win situation for both parties and if responses were good, the airline would continue offering direct flights to Malaysia.
THE ALLURE OF SABAH
Sabah’s magnificent and unique islands like Pulau Manukan and Pulau Sipadan are popular destinations among South Koreans who are looking to escape their country’s winter.
They are also drawn to the culture, local tradition and tourist facilities offered by the state.
“Kota Kinabalu is a renowned tourist destination and we want South Koreans to come here and enjoy the hotels, resorts and other facilities available,” said Jin Air vice-president Kwang Lee.
Kwang said they welcomed the collaboration to introduce the Koreans to Sabah and its plethora of attractions, such as Mount Kinabalu.
WOWED BY SABAH
Korean tourists onboard Jin Air’s first flight were taken to Kampung Tamau in Kota Belud, a two-hour journey from here, to visit the official mascot of Malaysia’s tourism campaign, the Proboscis monkey.
They were brought on a boat ride along a river for an opportunity to witness the monkey in its natural habitat.
Despite the overcast skies and rain, the tourists were excited to be able to catch sight of the monkeys, even if only fleeting glimpses of the animal.
For a taste of fresh seafood, they were brought to the Ocean Seafood Village, a popular seafood restaurant in Kota Kinabalu.
There they were served a lunch spread of freshly poached prawns, butter-fried squid and a variety of other seafood dishes.
Koreans are fans of fresh seafood and Sabah’s wealth of marine resources will clearly help in attracting more tourists from South Korea.
MARI-MARI CULTURAL VILLAGE
For a crash course on the customs of Sabah’s various ethnic groups, the group were brought to visit the Mari Mari Cultural Village.
The cultural village situated about 25 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu acts as a museum preserving Borneo’s ethnic treasures.
They were introduced to the history, culture and traditions of Borneo and were able to experience first-hand the lives of the natives in the olden days.
The village is home to five ethnic tribes, namely the Kadazan-Dusun rice farmers, the Rungus longhouse residents, the Lundayeh hunters and fishermen, the Bajau sea gypsies and the Murut hunters. - BERNAMA