‘Make Sabah favourable second home destination’
KOTA KINABALU: Chinese tourists and investors will soon start visiting every corner of the globe, including Sabah, with the opening of the China border.
Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) president Datuk Frankie Liew said that statistics showed that the number of passengers in Malaysian airports had returned to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic level.
“KKIA (Kota Kinabalu International Airport) is one of the airports reporting a significant increase in arrivals and we believe the figure will soar exponentially with the return of Chinese visitors.
“This is specially so with the enhanced criteria of My Second Home programme announced by the state government, which will certainly boost the tourism and economy in Sabah,” he said at the SCCC Chinese New Year 2023 celebration at Horizon Hotel near here on Friday.
He added that the programme would not only bring in the applicants’ funds, but could also potentially bolster investments in tourism, health care, agriculture and infrastructure development. “Sabah is located at the centre of South East Asia and Asia, which makes it an ideal gateway to the main cities in the region for tourism and investment purposes. The State Government should introduce friendly policies to make Sabah a favourable destination as a second home,” he said.
The state government has approved in principle the policies for implementation of the SabahMalaysia My Second Home (SBH-MM2H) programme.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew recently said the State Cabinet had approved the policies which govern the prerequisites for participation in the SabahMalaysia My Second Home (SBH-MM2H) programme such as age requirement, medical certification and a fixed deposit account in Sabah.
Among the terms and conditions of the SBH-MM2H programme are a minimum stay of 30 days a year; approved duration for an individual or family is for 5+5 years for stay in Sabah only; eligibility to purchase property (apartments) at a minimum value of RM600,000 and above; certification of good conduct from the applicant’s country of origin; medical check-up certificate; opening of a bank account in any local banks in Sabah with a fixed deposit of RM200,000.
With a unique and competitive SBH-MM2H programme that is user-friendly, Liew said Sabah will be looking at high-end participants for a high yield.