Malaysia's Sabah Eyes Eastern Russian Tourists To Boost Tourism

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Aug 23 (Bernama) -- East Malaysian state Sabah is eyeing Eastern Russian tourists in an effort to boost the state's tourism industry, Chief Minister Musa Aman said. He said the state government would be intensifying its efforts to attract tourists from Russian cities such as Vladivostok, Sakhalin and Khabarovsk, as well as other new markets. "The year 2016 has been a challenging year for the tourism industry in Sabah following a number of unfortunate incidents befalling the state. "In view of the current state of affairs, the state government will continue its efforts to restore the confidence of international tourists in travelling to Sabah," he said at the Sabah Branch of the Malaysia International Chambers of Commerce and Industry luncheon here Tuesday. His speech was delivered by State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun. Musa said the government would continue its efforts to expand air connectivity through scheduled direct flights and special chartered flights. He said the soon to be launched online visa application is expected to attract more foreign tourists to the state besides the lower ringgit (Malaysia's currency). --BERNAMA