Big drop in China tourists to Sabah

Tourists from China have stopped going to Sabah after the kidnapping cases involving Chinese nationals. The government cannot just say that they tried their best to stop kidnapping incidents. Foreign Missions continue to maintain their advisories on the eastern seaboard of Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah experienced a 90% drop in the number of tourists from China so far this year after several kidnapping cases involving Chinese nationals recently.

The Sabah Tourism Board (STB) said there was a huge drop of 86.7% tourist traffic from China and Hong Kong last year.

Popular Express Travel managing director Dewi Chen said the drop in the number of tourists was because the kidnappings happened one after another.

“If it was a rare occurrence, the negative effect would have been less,” she said.

Chen said usually she would be booking hotels by now because July to August was the peak period.

“So far we have not received any hotel bookings,” she said.

Last November, a Taiwanese tourist Hsu Li Min, 57, was shot dead at the Sipadan Pom Pom Resort on Pom Pom Island by armed gunmen who abducted his wife Chang An Wei, 58.

She was later released in the southern Philippines after an undisclosed sum in ransom money was paid.

On April 2, Chinese student Gao Huayun, 29, and Filipina resort worker Marcy Dayawan, an illegal immigrant, were kidnapped at the Singgamata Reef Resort in the east coast. They were released recently.

Recently, a fish farm manager, Yang Zai Lin, 34, a Chinese national from Guangzhou was kidnapped near Pulau Baik, near Lahad Datu. He is still being held.

The tourists from China account for half the business of Matthewpaul Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd.

Its managing director, Paul Chin, said the inflow of tourists from China had dropped by 80%.

“People from China are afraid to come, but we still get many travellers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the peninsula and Japan,” he said.

Masenang Tour and Travel representative, who gave his name only as Ben, said the company had lost all its Chinese travellers.

“We feel the pinch because group travellers make up the bulk of our income. They come in groups of 100 to 200. So the impact is severe when they stop coming,” said Ben.

Hotels appear to be weathering the impact better compared with travel operators.

Promenade Hotel group marketing communications director Anita Chung said they usually received bookings in the second half of June for September but there had been a 20% drop in business.

Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu marketing communications manager Jocelyn Banding said she remained positive on Chinese arrivals for the upcoming peak season.

“The hotel has 30% tourist traffic of which half are from China,” she said.

Hyatt Regency Kinabalu public relations manager Julia Chan said the Chinese would still come to Sabah for the weather, nature attraction and food.

Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa in Kota Kinabalu depends on tourists for 80% of its business.

“The Chinese make up a quarter of this,” said its communications director Samantha Siow.

A STB spokesman said three chartered flights from China to Sabah this month and next had been cancelled.

Sabah Tourism Association chairman Tony Chew said the kidnappings still took place despite government efforts to prevent such incidents.