KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has seven new hotels coming on stream providing an additional 2,053 rooms to cater for the state’s continuous growth in tourist arrivals which could reach 2.2 million this year.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said there are 685 existing hotels in Sabah ranging from 5-star to budget hotels or lodges with a 26,822-room capacity.
“This development augured well for the state with statistics showing that Sabah continues to be a sought-after destination among tourists,” he said when speaking at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort’s 40th Ruby anniversary celebrations here last night.
He said Sabah registered 1.4 million international and domestic arrivals between January and July this year and hoped to achieve the targeted figure of 2.2 million by the end of the year.
Hajiji said it was encouraging to note that Sabah’s average hotel occupancy rate for the past six months this year is 52 per cent.
“I’m told on certain days some hotels have reported full occupancy, especially during holidays or when events were being held,” he said.
Hajiji said the state government, through the State Tourism, Culture and Environmental Ministry, had also allocated RM10 million to repair basic tourism infrastructure in the rural areas to encourage growth in community-based tourism.
By 2030, Sabah hoped to achieve the 80 per cent ASEAN standard compliance target for community-based tourism in the state, he said adding this was towards empowering and enhancing the livelihood of the rural communities. – BERNAMA
