The Sabah Tourism Board has launched “Domestic Travel Stimulus” on late Thursday (Sept 17), supported by the state government. Local travel operators that provide domestic travel packages including transportation, accommodation and tours will stand to benefit from the domestic travel stimulus plan.

Datuk Christina Liew, Caretaker Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, has said that the stimulus measures are to provide incentives and assistance to the tour operators, with a focus on domestic tourism as international borders to foreigners are still closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.​​​ In the past, the ministry was only focused on the international markets, but with the launch, it will also focus on domestic stakeholders and participants so they will get some help from the state government.

She said, “Sabah Tourism Board came up with this incentive together with relevant people and they will be working very quickly on the ground once they receive applications. The whole purpose is to assist stakeholders and local operators to help them overcome the difficulty now.”

She further added that the incentives given will also encourage the Sabah tourism industry to carry out more activities. This is the initiative of the government to launch the plan and it depends on the initiatives of various ministries to assist stakeholders in formulating plans, involving the Ministry of Tourism as well.

Under the “Domestic Travel Stimulus”, all Sabah based and licensed tour operators who sell domestic travel packages (including accommodation, transportation and tourism) will eligible to get an incentive of RM50 per traveler in accordance with the criteria set by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment.

Datuk Tan Kok Liang, President of Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that to be eligible for this incentive, the travel period for holiday makers is from September 17, 2020 to March 31, 2021. This is an important window to boost domestic travel before any possibility on re-opening of international borders in next year.

Licensed tour operators will receive a reward of RM50 per passenger to promote a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights package in Sabah. This financial support will be used to increase the value of the travel package, make it more attractive and create enthusiasm for domestic holiday makers visiting Sabah. It will also help to subsidize the additional costs incurred due to the implementation of the health and safety protocols for COVID-19.

He also urged tourism industry players to join the National Online MATTA Fair to be held from September 23 to 30 and physical National MATTA Fair to be held in Kuala Lumpur from November 7 to 8.