KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be stepping up efforts to attract Indian tourists given they represent the fastest-growing outbound market, said State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

He said the state's tourism industry was overly dependent on Chinese visitors before the pandemic and that it must now diversify its customer base.

Joniston said over 6,000 Indian visitors came to Sabah pre-pandemic in 2019, showing a clear interest in visiting the region, and while the number was modest, it is still quite promising.

"Sabah is recognised for its nature-based tourism, but we also offer upscale products and one-of-a-kind travel experiences that would be of appeal to visitors from India. They are big spenders, so we want to draw them in.

"Be assured that the Sabah Tourism Board is actively pursuing the Indian market, and we hope to see a steady increase in arrivals in the coming year. I am sure direct linkages between India and Sabah will be established in the future once there is a rise in the number of Indian visitors," he said in a statement today.

Yesterday (Dec 7), Joniston, who also chairs the Sabah Tourism Board, hosted a dinner for the India Market Tour Agents of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), which was also attended by MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang and representatives from AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) as well as Batik Air.

AsianWorld Holidays Sdn Bhd director George Kandiah led the delegation on their familiarisation trip to Sabah.

On current flight frequencies, Joniston said there are 163 weekly connecting flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu available via MAS, Air Asia, and Batik Air.

He also mentioned that 3,247 tourists from India had arrived in Sabah between January and October this year.

On Tuesday (Dec 6), India's High Commissioner to Malaysia B. Nagabhushana Reddy paid a courtesy call on Joniston during which they exchanged views on potential cooperation and tourism development, among others.

In the meeting, Reddy mentioned the need to work with popular destinations because Indians travel widely and in great numbers throughout the world.

He stated that about 700,000 Indian tourists visited Malaysia in 2019, and the fact that a portion of them flew to Sabah demonstrated that Indian tourists are already making plans to experience the country's unique destinations.

-- BERNAMA