By Ian Neubauer

More than 140 travel agencies attended a Sabah Tourism Board (SABTB) presentation in Borneo yesterday (August 7) to promote the destination’s appeal to the Asian Pacific MICE market.

Held at the Shangri-la Makati in the coastal city of Kota Kinabalu, the presentation focused on the city’s rich offerings in terms of travel and leisure, the Sun Star Davo reported.

Kota Kinabalu boasts four championship golf courses, historical churches and mosques, and relatively cheap accommodation and services. It also lies close to Mount Kinabalu, which at 4095 metres and capped with a colossal granite peak is one of the highest — and most impressive — mountains in Southeast Asia.  

“Kota Kinabalu is developing into a premier business and holiday destination,” said SABTB vice chairman, Datuk Sari Suhut. “It is away from the typhoon and earthquake belts and it has world-class event venues that suit the MICE market well. Kota Kinabalu has now become even more accessible with the entry of airlines with huge regional network like Cebu Pacific.”

Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board assistant director, Abdul Rahim Haron, said the MICE market was “the life blood of global tourism”.

“We host and organise a number of world class competitions and events, not to mention the bargains at great Malaysian sale seasons, to attract more tourists to experience and enjoy Sabah and Kota Kinabalu,” he said.