Marcel Simok
There could not be a better travel marketplace platform than ITB Berlin 2023 (Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin) for the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) to launch Sabah’s new destination rebranding – ‘Feel Sabah, North Borneo.’
STB developed the ‘Feel Sabah’ promotion, while the idea of incorporating ‘North Borneo’ was mooted by Minister Datuk Christina Liew, who led a 10-member delegation to this global event.
STB is under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment.
Launching this rebranding exercise at the world’s largest tourism trade fair at Messe Berlin in Germany on Tuesday, Minister Datuk Christina Liew said it was most apt to adopt this promotional theme for sentimental and historical reasons.
She stressed that we wanted the international community to know that Sabah is in the northern part of Borneo Island in the hope of fascinating and wooing more European tourists.
“The name ‘North Borneo’ (now Sabah) sounds exotic and evokes nostalgic feelings of yearning for this destination. It is also of historical significance, as the state was then known as ‘North Borneo’ before gaining independence in 1963.
“People in many parts of the world have not heard of Sabah, despite decades of promoting this Land Below The Wind to the outside world, let alone know about our diverse natural attractions and iconic wildlife.
“However, we know that the mention of Borneo or North Borneo rings a bell. Europeans, in particular, associate Sabah with Borneo. Hence, we are determined to rebrand this tourist destination with ‘Feel Sabah, North Borneo’ to create a new identity in the travel marketplace,’ Liew said after the launch.
She added that Sabah is home to spectacular natural wonders such as Mount Kinabalu, the Maliau Basin, and the Tip of Borneo.
The delegation comprised Assistant Minister cum STB Chairman Datuk JonistonBangkuai, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datuk MohdYusrie Abdullah, STB Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman, and ministry and STB officials.
With the recent resumption of direct international flights, cruise tourism, and optimism about mounting regular or chartered flights from new destinations, Liew said Sabah targets 2.2 million arrivals by 2023 and will work towards attaining 2.5 million arrivals. “If we hit the 2.5 million mark, this would indicate an increase by 45.35pc compared with 1.72 million arrivals in 2022.”
According to her, Sabah’s top feeder markets in the past (based on the 2019 data) represented a good mix of Taiwan, China, Brunei, Singapore, and South Korea. “For Europe specifically, our top inbound tourism markets are Germany, France, Netherlands and Italy.”
The Minister added that plans were afoot to explore the prospects of luring tourists from new tourism markets in America, Australia, Japan, and India via tourism roadshows by STB.
Borneo Eco Tours, Borneo Nature Tours, Borneo Trails, Rustic Borneo, Sepilok Tropical Wildlife Adventure and Tabin Wildlife Reserve from Sabah are participating in ITB Berlin 2023, rated as the world’s leading travel trade show.
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