Rising airfares could undermine Visit Sabah 2027 tourism push, says former state Matta chief

The escalating airfares and fuel costs pose a significant challenge to Sabah's tourism competitiveness ahead of Visit Sabah 2027, according to former Matta Sabah chairman Mohd Azlan Saleh Abd Salam.

He suggests the government should implement targeted assistance or subsidies for travel-related costs to prevent tourists from opting for more affordable regional destinations.

Rising costs also impact local travel, with costly fares affecting Sabahans' connectivity with Peninsular Malaysia.

Azlan emphasizes the need for strategic government intervention to ensure that Sabah's tourism potential is supported by affordable air connectivity and sustainable operating costs for tourism operators.

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 3 — The government should consider targeted assistance or subsidies to address rising airfares and fuel costs that could undermine Sabah’s tourism competitiveness ahead of Visit Sabah 2027, said former Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Sabah chairman Mohd Azlan Saleh Abd Salam.

He said high travel costs could prompt tourists to choose other destinations in the region offering more competitive prices, particularly as Sabah prepares to ramp up its tourism promotion.

“Based on indicative checks, the basic economy-class return fare from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu is around RM471, while Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta is around RM487.

“This small difference is causing consumers to start comparing destinations that offer better value,” he said in a statement today.

Azlan said the issue deserved particular attention during school holidays, festive periods and peak travel seasons, when airfares are among the key factors influencing tourists’ choice of destination.

He said rising petrol and diesel costs were also putting pressure on tourism operators, including tour bus, van and boat operators.

“Operators cannot absorb rising operating costs indefinitely, and these costs may eventually be passed on to consumers through higher package prices.

“The government should consider targeted fuel assistance or subsidies for licensed tourism operators, particularly tour buses, vans and tourist boats,” he said.

He said any assistance should be implemented transparently and conditionally, with proper monitoring to ensure the benefits were passed on through more stable tourism package prices.

Azlan also warned that Sabah was competing not only with other destinations in Malaysia but also with Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

“Strong promotion needs to be supported by sufficient and affordable air connectivity. We must not allow the major investment in Visit Sabah 2027 to fall short of its intended results because tourists choose other destinations due to high travel costs,” he said.

Tourism is a major income earner and economic driver for Sabah, generating RM13.7 billion in 2024, equivalent to 12 per cent of the state’s economy, and supporting about 387,600 jobs, according to Azlan.

Azlan urged the government to continue engaging industry players and use actual tourism-sector data when formulating measures to address airfares and operating costs.

“Competition today is not only about the beauty of a destination, but also air connectivity, prices, facilities and the overall value offered to tourists.

“If the issues of airfares and fuel costs are addressed promptly, Visit Sabah 2027 could become an important catalyst for the state’s economic growth,” he said.

Domestic travel also hurting

Aside from tourism, high airfares are also increasingly affecting Sabahans and other Malaysians travelling between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.

Sabah Youth, Sports Development and Creative Economy Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan was recently reported as saying that the state government was seeking federal intervention following reports that one-way fares from Tawau to Kuala Lumpur had reached as much as RM1,000, particularly affecting students studying in the peninsula.

He urged the Transport Ministry to intervene and ensure students were not affected by exorbitant fares.

The impact of high airfares is also being felt by families who need to travel between Sabah and the peninsula for work and family commitments.

In June, it was reported that Md Suhaimi Sapiee, a 48-year-old commissioner for oaths, was unable to return to Selangor to attend his sister’s funeral because of the high cost of air travel.

He said airfares of more than RM1,000 per person also meant that only one of his two children studying in Peninsular Malaysia could return to Kota Kinabalu during their recent semester break.

Sabahans working in West Malaysia also often take to social media to lament the high cost of flights, which prevents them from returning home frequently during festive periods to see their families, while the reduced frequency of flights also means a potential loss of business for many.

Students who can utilise the FlySiswa subsidy programme say it helps ease the cost of flights to Kota Kinabalu, but their families may still be unable to visit them for graduation because of high airfares.

The combination of rising fares and operating costs has therefore emerged as an issue affecting both Sabah’s tourism ambitions and the ability of Sabahans to maintain regular links with Peninsular Malaysia.

For the tourism industry, Azlan said the challenge was to ensure that efforts to promote Sabah as a destination were matched by affordable and accessible air connectivity.

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据前沙巴旅游协会主席莫哈末·阿兹兰·萨利赫·阿卜杜勒·萨拉姆称，不断上涨的机票价格和燃油成本对沙巴在2027年沙巴旅游展前的旅游业竞争力构成了重大挑战。

他建议政府应该对旅游相关费用实施有针对性的援助或补贴，以防止游客选择更经济实惠的地区性旅游目的地。

成本上涨也影响了当地出行，高昂的票价影响了沙巴人与马来西亚半岛的交通联系。

阿兹兰强调，政府需要进行战略性干预，以确保沙巴的旅游潜力得到负担得起的航空连接和旅游运营商可持续的运营成本的支持。

哥打基纳巴卢，9月3日讯——马来西亚旅游及旅行社协会（MATTA）沙巴分会前主席莫哈末·阿兹兰·萨利赫·阿卜杜勒·萨拉姆表示，政府应考虑提供有针对性的援助或补贴，以应对不断上涨的机票和燃油成本，这些成本可能会削弱沙巴在2027年沙巴旅游展前的旅游业竞争力。

他表示，高昂的旅行成本可能会促使游客选择该地区其他价格更具竞争力的目的地，尤其是在沙巴准备加大旅游推广力度之际。

“根据初步调查，吉隆坡到哥打基纳巴卢的经济舱往返票价约为 471 马币，而吉隆坡到雅加达的经济舱往返票价约为 487 马币。

“这种微小的差别导致消费者开始比较性价比更高的目的地，”他今天在一份声明中表示。

阿兹兰表示，在学校假期、节假日和旅游旺季，机票价格是影响游客选择目的地的关键因素之一，因此这个问题尤其值得关注。

他表示，汽油和柴油价格上涨也给旅游经营者带来了压力，包括旅游巴士、面包车和船只经营者。

“运营商无法无限期地承受不断上涨的运营成本，这些成本最终可能会通过更高的套餐价格转嫁给消费者。

他说：“政府应该考虑向有执照的旅游经营者，特别是旅游巴士、面包车和旅游船，提供有针对性的燃油援助或补贴。”

他表示，任何援助都应该以透明和有条件的方式实施，并进行适当的监督，以确保援助成果能够通过更稳定的旅游套餐价格传递给游客。

阿兹兰还警告说，沙巴不仅要与马来西亚的其他旅游目的地竞争，还要与印度尼西亚、泰国和越南竞争。

“强有力的宣传推广需要充足且价格合理的航空交通作为支撑。我们绝不能让2027年沙巴旅游年的巨大投资因高昂的旅行成本而导致游客选择其他目的地，最终未能达到预期效果。”他说道。

据阿兹兰称，旅游业是沙巴州的主要收入来源和经济驱动力，到 2024 年将创造 137 亿令吉的收入，相当于该州经济的 12%，并支持约 387,6​​00 个就业岗位。

阿兹兰敦促政府继续与业内人士接触，并在制定应对机票价格和运营成本的措施时使用实际的旅游业数据。

“如今的竞争不仅关乎目的地的美丽，还关乎航空连接、价格、设施以及为游客提供的整体价值。

他说：“如果机票和燃油成本问题能够及时得到解决，2027 年沙巴旅游年可能会成为该州经济增长的重要催化剂。”

国内旅行也受到影响。

除了旅游业，高昂的机票价格也日益影响着往返沙巴和马来西亚半岛的沙巴人和其他马来西亚人。

据报道，沙巴青年、体育发展和创意经济部长拿督尼扎姆·阿布·巴卡尔·蒂廷根最近表示，有报道称从斗湖到吉隆坡的单程票价高达 1000 令吉，这尤其影响了在马来半岛学习的学生，因此州政府正在寻求联邦政府的干预。

他敦促交通部介入，确保学生不会受到过高票价的影响。

高昂的机票价格也影响到那些因工作和家庭原因需要在沙巴和马来半岛之间往返的家庭。

据报道，6 月份，48 岁的宣誓官 Md Suhaimi Sapiee 因机票价格昂贵而无法返回雪兰莪参加他姐姐的葬礼。

他还表示，每人超过 1000 令吉的机票价格也意味着，他两个在马来西亚半岛读书的孩子中，只有一人能在最近的学期假期返回哥打基纳巴卢。

在西马工作的沙巴人也经常在社交媒体上抱怨机票价格高昂，这使得他们在节日期间无法经常回家与家人团聚，而航班频次的减少也意味着许多人可能面临业务损失。

能够利用 FlySiswa 补贴计划的学生表示，该计划有助于减轻前往哥打基纳巴卢的机票费用，但由于机票价格高昂，他们的家人可能仍然无法在毕业典礼上探望他们。

因此，票价和运营成本的上涨已成为影响沙巴旅游业发展目标以及沙巴人与马来西亚半岛保持定期联系能力的一个问题。

阿兹兰表示，旅游业面临的挑战是，在推广沙巴作为旅游目的地的同时，也要确保航空交通便利且价格合理。

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