Sabah, Hungary have good bilateral tourism prospects
BUDAPEST: There are good prospects of bilateral tourism between Sabah and Hungary through a collaborative effort, says Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew.
She advocated exchange visits by the citizens of the two states for people to people connection during a meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Budapest for Human Affairs, Dr Anett Bosz, at the Budapest City Council on Monday.
“This meeting presents an invaluable opportunity for Sabah to explore new markets, and introduce the destination to Central Europe.
“We (Sabah delegation) are here to learn more about the city of Budapest and its tourist attractions.
“We encourage travel agents and tour operators here (Budapest) to reach out to us to explore potential collaboration opportunities and join hands in promoting Sabah to Hungarians (as a premier travel destination), and vice versa,” said Liew who led the Sabah Tourism Board’s Tourism Promotion Mission to Hungary from March 9 to 12.
Promotional campaigns and marketing initiatives can be developed by both Sabah and Hungary through collaboration, she added.
The Minister acknowledged the support of the Ambassador of Malaysia to Hungary, Francisco Munis, making it possible for the Sabah Tourism Destination Presentation to be held in Budapest.
According to Liew, Budapest’s strategic location and excellent flight connectivity enable travellers from the capital city to access Sabah via flights connecting (the two areas) through Shanghai, China or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
On the Minister’s invitation for the people of Budapest to visit Sabah, Dr Bosz said that is a really lovely idea.
She said collaboration between Sabah and Budapest is going to be important and a special one.
“Historical cities in Central Europe and Eastern Europe are important for each other to collaborate.
“This is a really special idea to connect Budapest and Sabah. I am indeed motivated to go on this road of collaboration,” said Dr Bosz.
The Deputy Mayor congratulated Sabah Tourism Board (STB) after viewing the video presentation by its Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit on Sabah Tourism Destination 2024 – an enchanting journey through Sabah, North Borneo – featuring the unique attractions and cultural heritage that Sabah offers to visitors.
Liew’s views on collaboration between Sabah and Hungary were echoed by her Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai who is also Chairman of STB.
Meanwhile, Munis said the Budapest Marathon could be a platform for collaboration in sports tourism as Sabah also holds the Borneo Marathon and Mt Kinabalu Climbathon, among other international events.
“The mechanism for executing the collaborative effort can be worked out by the working group,” he added.
Also present were the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Josie Lai Mei Sing and Chairman of Sri Pelancongan Sabah, Ken Pan Ying On.