Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Pang Nyuk Ming told FMT that the spending power of Chinese tourists had brought billions of ringgit in tourism receipts, which went to those directly or indirectly involved in the tourism industry.
“Chinese tourists like to go to the ground and spend their money, patronising local shops and eating locally, unlike say, European tourists who will eat at the hotels where they stay.
“They use public transportation, they do not mind paying for things if they like them. So the money is spread at the grassroots instead of just benefitting hotels,” he said.
The Kota Kinabalu City Hall has even gone as far as to include Chinese writing on road signages to make the tourists feel welcome.
Just a few years ago, there were only a handful of souvenir shops along Gaya Street and Pantai Street. Now, there are dozens, including a duty-free shop, which peddle their wares to the streams of Chinese tourists in the area.
Pang, who has played a key role in promoting Sabah in China since his appointment to the post in 2013, said the state was the perfect gateway destination for those living in Hong Kong, Shenzen and Guangzhou due to its close proximity.
Tourists from these cities can reach Sabah in as little as two hours, compared to other destinations such as Bali, Indonesia, which would take five to six hours to reach.
Sabah is also well-known for its flora and fauna, diverse culture, sunny beaches and famed seafood.
Pang said all these made Sabah a complete tourism package.
“China has over a billion in population. About 10% or 130 million have passports and will travel overseas.
“Last year, we welcomed about 380,000 Chinese tourists. This year, we project about 450,000 will come.
“That isn’t even 1% of the potential tourists from China,” he said.
“My objective is to get each of these passport holders to come to Sabah at least once.”
He said the problem was that despite the various attractions offered to tourists, Sabah still lacked products that could cater to this niche market.
Many times, he said, he had seen Chinese tourists in Kota Kinabalu wandering aimlessly at night because they had nothing to do.
The shopping malls do not offer enough high-range products although the market is there for retailers to exploit, especially as the cash-laden tourists do not mind parting with their money as long as the products are original, he said.
Furthermore, despite the high occupancy rate of hotels in the state, investors are still reluctant to build more.
This is despite travellers complaining that they are only able to get hotel rooms if they make bookings weeks in advance, he added.
Pang said this could be remedied through heavy investments, especially from the private sector, which plays a big role in the tourism industry.
He added that the government was looking to open up more islands and build more resorts to cater to the increasing demand.
“However, there is another more pressing problem than just providing accommodation.
“We know that Chinese, and now South Korean, tourists who come here more and more like seafood. They will spend a lot of money on food, but particularly seafood.
“I am worried over whether our seafood industry is sustainable enough to satisfy the needs of our visitors as well as our locals. As of now, it is already putting a strain on our marine resources, just to feed the masses.
“I can confirm that as the number of tourists grows, so will the demand for our seafood, and I hope we are ready for that,” he said.
He said while tourism continues to benefit the locals on the west coast, the situation was different on Sabah’s east coast.
Despite the increasing number of Chinese tourists going to Semporna, he said, the locals there were only bystanders as the visitors would be ferried to nearby islands by tour operators with their provisions prepared beforehand in bigger cities.
“We must find ways to include them in the industry because then only can we truly say this is an industry that is to the people, for the people and by the people.”