KOTA KINABALU: Sabah tourism authorities will collaborate with the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), a prominent Australia-based group, to further promote and sell the state among Australian tourists. According to State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) will undertake a tactical campaign with FCTG, which is headquartered in Brisbane and has travel businesses in 24 countries across various regions including Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia. Liew also mentioned that FCTG owns several wholesale brands that supply products to their local and international travel retail outlets in Australia.
The partnership with FCTG is seen as crucial for achieving maximum results, as Flight Centre Brisbane is currently promoting Sabah as a popular holiday destination. Based on their data, Liew highlighted that 38% of their clients visiting Sabah are couples, followed by solo travelers (29%) and families (11%). She expressed appreciation that Kota Kinabalu is the most preferred city to visit, closely followed by Sandakan. Liew believes that STB’s promotional role can enhance Flight Centre Brisbane’s efforts, considering that Sabah’s tourism offerings, such as wildlife, nature, and five-star beach resorts, are well-suited for the Australian market.
Liew shared this information after a recent business meeting with Graham Turner, the chief executive officer and founder of Flight Centre Brisbane, along with Tim Holden, the group partnership manager, and Lorraine Young, the global product designer, at the Flight Centre Office in Brisbane. Among STB’s strategies, Liew mentioned online advertising of Sabah and its unique attractions as a way to create awareness at FCTG’s retail shops. Additionally, destination education training for FCTG retail frontliners through familiarization (FAM) trips is also part of STB’s plan. Liew emphasized that when tourism consumers visit a Flight Centre travel retail outlet, they will be informed about Sabah’s location and its offerings as an ideal holiday destination.
Liew stated that the proposed strategies are targeted to be implemented by the fourth quarter of this year, with an aim to attract Australian outbound traffic from the first quarter of next year onwards.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
