By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 6: Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Seri Tiong King Sing has encouraged LOT Polish Airlines to look beyond Langkawi as Malaysia has many destinations worth exploring—including the Niah and Mulu Caves in Sarawak.
Tiong said this following a meeting with the president and senior management of LOT Polish Airlines in Warsaw, where they discussed routes and working together to boost tourism.
“LOT shared that since last year, they have been running charter flights from Poland to Langkawi and plan to continue. This shows their strong interest in the Malaysian market.
“They also pointed out that Poland and Malaysia have similar population sizes, strong economic growth, and rising spending power—signs of great potential for tourism.
“I thanked LOT for their support and suggested that besides Langkawi, Malaysia also has many attractive destinations worth exploring, such as Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Redang Island, Semporna, as well as Niah and Mulu Caves in Sarawak,” said Tiong in a Facebook post.
In addition, he said that moving from charter flights to scheduled routes would help increase two-way travellers, and suggested LOT work with Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air, and AirAsia, while also partnering with travel agents and boosting joint promotions to grow the market together.
He added that both sides agreed that tourism helps foster cultural, educational, and trade exchanges, and we will continue to work closely to take Malaysia–Poland ties to the next level.
Meanwhile, Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP and Dudong assemblyman, met with the team from Nowa ITAKA, which is Poland’s largest travel platform with over 1,000 agents and 200 self-owned outlets.
During the meeting, ITAKA representatives shared that previous charter flights from Poland to Langkawi received excellent response, with customers praising Malaysia’s hospitality, food, and natural attractions, with flight operations achieving a success rate of 97 per cent.
“Looking ahead, ITAKA plans to launch new charter flights to Langkawi from Czechia and Hungary next year, and further expand itineraries to Kuala Lumpur through Emirates and Qatar Airways.
“I proposed extending the routes to Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, and Semporna, while also promoting Sarawak’s museums and UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Niah Caves and Mulu Caves,” said Tiong.
He also suggested that ITAKA collaborate with LOT Polish Airlines and Tourism Malaysia to develop scheduled flights and create more attractive customised travel products in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 to expand into broader markets. — DayakDaily
