‘Hungarians know Borneo but don’t know Sabah’
BUDAPEST: The media in Hungary is abuzz with news of a Sabah delegation’s visit to the country, and the wide range of stunning attractions that this ‘Land Below The Wind’ has to offer to visitors.
This follows a Sabah Tourism Destination Presentation here by Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew during a dinner for media practitioners, hosted by the Embassy of Malaysia in Hungary.
Very little is known about the geography of Sabah in Hungary, let alone its tourism offerings, so the presentation was an eyeopener for the Hungarian media, given the spectacular sights and sounds of Sabah. They wanted to know why the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chose Budapest as the location for this destination presentation, to which the Minister said Budapest presents an excellent opportunity to introduce Sabah to Central Europe.
“We are exploring new markets. As Hungary is a landlocked country, Sabah’s diverse offerings of pristine islands and beaches as well as luxurious resorts provide a refreshing and exotic destination for travellers seeking sun, sand and adventure,” Liew said matter-of-factly, while calling on the Hungarian media to promote Sabah in their publications.
On how travel agents and tour operators in Hungary can promote Sabah as a premier travel destination, she said this can be achieved through collaborations and partnerships with STB “to develop promotional campaigns, and marketing initiatives that showcase the unique attractions and experiences of our destination”.
“We encourage travel agencies and tour operators to reach out to us to explore potential collaboration opportunities, and join hands in promoting Sabah to Hungarians,” she added.
Present were the Ambassador of Malaysia to Hungary, Slovenia and North Macedonia, Francisco Munis, Assistant Minister cum Chairman of STB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry Josie Lai Mei Sing, Chairman of Sri Pelancongan Sabah Ken Pan Ying On, and STB Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit.
Admittedly, Senior Editor of Budapest Times, Christopher Maddock, didn’t know much about Sabah. He opined that the evening with the Tourism Minister, government and STB officials had been very positive.
“It was a privilege, and I enjoyed it very much. And maybe one day, I might be lucky to visit Sabah.”
When interviewed, Maddock, who is keen to start a column on Sabah, said: “But I am expecting some information to be sent to me first. The lady, Josie (Ministry’s Permanent Secretary) said she will send me some information, so we will be using the information that you want.”
On why few Hungarians visit Sabah, the Senior Editor said basically, it’s the distance plus maybe the fact that if you talk about Malaysia, rightly or wrongly, many people are thinking of West Malaysia, not East Malaysia.
“I think this is more in people’s minds because of Kuala Lumpur, maybe Melaka, Penang, maybe Singapore as well. I have been to West Malaysia twice but I haven’t been over to Borneo. It’s like another trip, another state, farther away.”
Alpar Kato, who is the owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Daily News Hungary (DNH), a leading news portal, concurred with Maddock, saying Sabah is a faraway destination, and Hungarians know Borneo but don’t know Sabah. According to him, Borneo is quite famous in Hungary because of its beautiful nature, the seas and beaches, and mountains, too. “If you say Borneo, everybody knows it’s around in South Asia. So, if you put Borneo and Sabah together, the people will definitely know about the destination, and will come to your country.”
While conceding that a direct flight from Budapest to Sabah is impossible, Kato suggested an easier way for Hungarians to fly to Sabah with a flight connection to Dubai or Istanbul, rather than having to fly to Shanghai from Budapest to go to Sabah.
In their exchange of notes, the CEO told the Sabah minister: “For Hungarians, the flight connection from Dubai or Istanbul to Malaysia and Sabah is going to be better.
“If you want to show Hungarians that it’s easy to fly to Sabah, you need to change the flight route. This is the point for Borneo and Sabah. It’s no problem, there is Dubai, there is Istanbul and you can fly to Sabah.
“With Budapest’s flight connectivity to Dubai and Istanbul, Hungarians can travel there by low budget airlines (apart from the Emirates and other airlines), en route to Malaysia and Sabah.”
According to Kato, Istanbul is very important for Turkey because it is located on the border between Europe and Asia. “It’s really a huge bridge for Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and for Europe as well.”
President cum Editor-in-Chief of the Diplomatic Press Agency, Dr Anna Popper expressed her intention to run a column on Borneo.
“I will make an article on Borneo because I think it’s very important. This Borneo region is not known and we have to advertise and promote it as part of Malaysia because this destination is very important.
“It’s a successful country, a beautiful country ... the nature is beautiful and very healthy,” she remarked.