KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is optimistic that its tourism industry, badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, will recover at a faster rate following the reopening of the state's international border with Brunei.
Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin, noting that the border reopening signified good news for the industry, said he believed most local tourism operators in the state were ready to resume business and welcome both domestic as well as foreign tourists.
He said that tourist arrivals from Brunei had increased from 56,259 tourists in 2018 to 78,605 tourists last year.
"I am confident that our tourism industry operators are prepared to resume their operations and abide by the necessary health and safety procedures as well as protocol," he said.
Jafry also urged locals to take advantage of their weekends by exploring and enjoying the state's many attractive destinations and help Sabah regain its economic vibrancy in domestic tourism.
Yesterday, Sabah announced the reopening of its international border with Brunei, allowing travellers from the neighbouring country to enter the state by air and land.
The decision was made after taking into consideration that Brunei has not registered new Covid-19 cases in the last seven months and is not listed among the 23 countries that are not allowed entry into Malaysia.
This also came following Jafry's announcement yesterday that the state government was providing a RM4,000 one-off assistance to each of the 503 registered tour and travel operators in Sabah.
With the government allowing domestic tourism to resume, the special aid is hoped to assist and enable tourism operators registered under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture to bounce back.
