In a statement, it said Sabah’s GVATI contributed 5.2% to the Malaysian GVATI and 0.7% to the country’s GDP.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Direct Gross Domestic Product (TDGDP) recorded RM3.2 billion, with a contribution of 2.6% to Sabah’s GDP.

“The reopening of the country’s borders also had a positive impact and boosted the recovery of Sabah’s tourism sector.

“In 2022, the number of tourist arrivals in Sabah reached 1.73 million people, up by 365.5% compared to just 0.4 million recorded in 2021,” said Chief Statistician Uzir Mahidin.

He said the performance of Sabah’s tourism industry was also boosted by the state government’s efforts.

“This includes continuing with the direct flight services to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) from countries like Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, in addition to domestic flights from Terengganu,” he said.

Meanwhile, Uzir said visitors from Peninsular Malaysia were the main contributors to inbound tourism spending in Sabah, which was 63.7% (RM1.7 billion) out of the total of RM2.7 billion in 2022.

“Overseas tourists and visitors from Sarawak contributed 23% (RM0.6 billion) and 12.3% (RM0.4 billion) respectively during the same period,” he said.

Sabah’s tourism industry performance was also driven by tourism spending of locals, which stood at RM3.5 billion.

He said the industry also recorded the involvement of 427,000 workers in 2022, contributing 22.8% to the total employment in Sabah.

Uzir noted that tourist arrivals in the state are expected to increase this year based on efforts being implemented by the government to spur the tourism industry, including the Community-Based Tourism Roadshow.

As of October 2023, the total number of tourism arrivals in Sabah stood at 2.11 million, up by 56.1% compared to the same period in 2022 (1.36 million).