SABAH & LABUAN - EAST COAST CONNECTION SETS COURSE TO BOOST INTERSTATE TRAVEL

KOTA BHARU, 21 September 2025 – Building on the success of “Bah, Mari Pigi Sabah & Labuan Roadshow 2023”, Tourism Malaysia ramps up its domestic promotional efforts with the launch of the Sabah & Labuan Meet East Coast Roadshow 2025. This year's roadshow, organised in collaboration with Sabah Tourism Board and Labuan Corporation, specifically targets travel trade partners in Kelantan and Pahang, aiming to strengthen ties and boost travel from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and Labuan.

Taking place in Kota Bharu and Kuantan on 21 and 23 September 2025, respectively, a delegation of 15 industry players from Sabah and Labuan – comprising travel agencies, tour operators, tourism associations, and a hotelier – will engage with their East Coast counterparts, exploring new collaborations and partnerships during business-to-business (B2B) sessions.

Beyond networking, the programme will feature two inspirational speakers offering comprehensive insights into the unique attractions and experiences of Sabah and Labuan, inviting visitors to discover their diverse landscapes and rich cultural heritage. With the support of the Kelantan and Pahang state governments, more than 100 buyers from the East Coast are expected to attend this programme. The Sabah and Labuan delegates will also embark on an experiential tour of tourism products while travelling through Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang.

Ms Haryanty Abu Bakar, Director of Tourism Malaysia Sabah, emphasised the strategic importance of the roadshow: “In conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), we are excited to adopt a more aggressive approach to diversify tourism package offerings and enhance promotional activities across all states to boost interstate travel.

“Accessibility from Sabah to the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia is currently supported by AirAsia flights three times a week. With the increased network collaboration and growing two-way domestic tourism demand, we hope this will encourage other airlines to expand into this vital sector."

According to the latest data released by the Sabah Tourism Board, Sabah welcomed 2,119,813 visitor arrivals from January to July 2025, representing a 20.3 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Of the total figure, international visitor arrivals accounted for 854,648, while domestic arrivals totalled 1,265,165.

-END

About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. The next Visit Malaysia, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-MalaysiaThailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

For enquiries, please contact:

Sharon Kenny
Senior Tourism Officer
Labuan Tourist Information Centre
sharonkenny@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +6087 423445

Norshariza Mohd Saad
Deputy Director
Corporate Communications Division
norshariza@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8755