SABAH is upbeat about collaborating with Brunei Darussalam Tourism to enhance tourism growth.

Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said she was keen for Sabah to capitalise on the direct flights from neighbouring Brunei Darussalam to London and Seoul, and a forthcoming direct flight to Tokyo in March next year via Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA).

“We (Sabah) will be able to get a fair share of the tourism pie by getting tourists from London, Seoul and Tokyo to come to Sabah for an extended holiday if connecting flights from Brunei Darussalam to Kota Kinabalu are in place in the near future,” she said after a courtesy call from the Consul-General of Brunei Darussalam Pengiran Nooriya PLW Pengiran Yussof.

In an exchange of notes, Liew noted the similarities between Sabah and Brunei in terms of holiday resorts, national parks, promoting eco-tourism and bird-watching activities.

Pengiran Nooriyah said tourist attractions in her country include the Jerudong Park, Taman Mahkota (Recreational Park), Ulu Temburong National Park, Kampung Air (Water Village), mosques, a water-themed park and a scenic lake.

Pengiran Nooriyah, who was accompanied by vice-consul Asulhamhaidi Mohd Ashrare, invited Liew to visit Brunei, saying its capital Bandar Seri Begawan was the second cleanest town in the world, free from air-pollution.

She added that Kota Kinabalu was a popular holiday destination for Bruneians, especially during school holidays.

“To them, Kota Kinabalu is an ideal place for shopping and sampling seafood cuisine. Their favourite haunts are 1Borneo Hypermarket, Suria Sabah and Imago shopping centres,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sabah Tourism Board (STB) marketing manager Halimah Hassan said STB targetted 100,000 visitors from Brunei Darussalam this year compared with more than 90,000 last year.

“This figure could be higher if we take overland travellers from the Sultanate into account,” she said.