Sabah is taking an adaptive and responsive approach to mitigate the impact of global disruptions from the Iran-US war, and support visitor flows despite airline capacity adjustments.
Multiple routes into Kota Kinabalu had been affected by route suspensions and reduced frequencies, including AirAsia services from Singapore, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Sibu and Bintulu, as well as Batik Air’s Seoul–Kota Kinabalu route.
Moving forward, STB’s tourism performance planning will be guided by scenario-based projections, including prolonged external disruptions, a stabilising baseline, and potential recovery in airline capacity, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin in a press statement.
Tourism goals will also be reviewed.
“As at March, arrivals are still on track towards the original target of four million arrivals, but target may be revised depending on real-time developments in airline connectivity and market conditions,” he said.
Based off preliminary statistics, Sabah recorded 932,970 visitor arrivals up to March this year, comprising 537,317 domestic visitors and 395,653 international arrivals.
While remaining flexible in response to evolving aviation conditions, Jafry stressed that the state would continue to intensify promotional efforts in key domestic and regional markets with established air connectivity, while leveraging existing routes to support arrivals.
He added that this approach is supported by continuous market intelligence, research and industry engagement led by STB, including coordination with airline partners to inform connectivity planning and tourism strategy.
“In the current environment, we must remain adaptive and responsive,” the minister emphasised.