By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 1: Tourism Malaysia (TM) has proposed leveraging the strong air connectivity between Kota Kinabalu and Kuching to develop stopover packages aimed at attracting more travellers from the Middle East.
This was revealed by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing following his official visit to the Middle East, where he engaged with Royal Brunei Airlines and Flydubai to explore potential new air routes and collaborations.
In a Facebook post, Tiong shared that TM Director Datuk Manoharan Periasamy suggested the development of stopover packages linking Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, noting that such an approach could be more appealing to Middle Eastern travellers than promoting Brunei as a standalone destination.
“I expressed my commitment to facilitating smoother visa processes for Indian travellers and supporting coordination with Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport to expedite route approvals.
“We hope Royal Brunei Airlines will consider expanding services to additional Malaysian destinations such as Melaka, Johor Bahru, and Bintulu,” he wrote.
The proposal came during a meeting with Royal Brunei Airlines, where the airline’s Regional Manager Jalal Sanaur Rahman highlighted the airline’s long-standing operations, including its Brunei–Dubai–London route and collaboration with Tourism Malaysia on the “Hello Kawan” package, which features Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu.
Jalal also noted the ease of visa access for Indian travellers into Brunei and the airline’s three weekly Chennai–Brunei flights, often used by tour groups to connect to Kota Kinabalu.
In a separate meeting, Flydubai raised the issue of passenger connectivity between Penang and Langkawi and suggested code-sharing as a solution. Tiong responded that he would follow up with the relevant agencies after returning to Malaysia.
In the same meeting, Tiong also proposed Melaka as a new destination, stating that the UNESCO World Heritage Site holds great tourism potential through its rich cultural heritage. — DayakDaily
