SANDAKAN, 12 April 2025 - Tourism Malaysia, in collaboration with Sandakan Tourism Association (STAN), launched the latest brochure directory - “A Guide to Sandakan” as part of its vigorous efforts in promoting interstate travel to Sabah and in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.

“A Guide to Sandakan” brochure directory offers variety of interests, offering an enticing blend of stunning natural landscapes, diverse flora and fauna, adventure activities, rich cultural experiences and gastronomy in Sandakan.

The launch ceremony was graced by YB Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and attended by Dato Shaharuddin Abu Sohot, Secretary General for Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ms Haryanty Abu Bakar, Director Tourism Malaysia Sabah and Mr Chee Kim Teo, President Sandakan Tourism Association.

YB Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan said that this directory brochure of Sandakan is part of promotional tools to encourage domestic and international visitors to plan their holiday or even weekend getaway to Sandakan. “From cosying up with the orangutan in the wild, to coming up close with the Bornean Sun Bears, the mascot of Visit Malaysia Year 2026. With the blend of wildlife and adventure, unique local eats and fresh seafood, Sandakan is the ideal getaway to explore the state of Sabah,” he said.

Malaysia's tourism sector continues to score strong recovery and growth. In 2024, Malaysia logged 38 million visitor arrivals, a significant 31.1% increase compared to 29 million arrivals in 2023. This also surpasses the pre-pandemic record of 35 million arrivals in 2019 by 8.3%. The top visitor-generating markets were Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Brunei, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and Chinese Taipei. The total visitor receipts reached RM106.78 billion in 2024, reflecting a substantial growth of 43.7% over 2023 and exceeding the 2019 level by 20%.

This momentum continued into January and February 2025, with visitor arrivals surging by 31.3% to 6.7 million compared to the same period in 2024, and up 14.5% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Singapore remained the top source market, contributing 3.1 million arrivals, followed by China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Brunei.

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About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.

The next Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.

For enquiries, please contact:

Khairul Amir Anuar
Deputy Director
Tourism Malaysia Sabah
khairulamir@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +6088-211732

Norshariza Mohd Saad
Deputy Director
Corporate Communications Division
norshariza@tourism.gov.my
Tel : +603 8891 8775