Malaysia: Sabah will be accessible for tourists with special needs

Mountains, sea, tropics - the unique nature makes Sabah one of the most popular regions of Malaysia for tourists. People come here from all over the world to swim with an aqualung, taste the freshest seafood, climb the highest point of Southeast Asia - Mount Kinabalu, and watch exotic animals and birds.

The country's tourism ministry recorded 3.85 million tourist arrivals in the region in 2018, and now plans to develop tourism infrastructure to attract even more tourists from Europe, Australia, the USA, New Zealand and other countries to Sabah.

Another important task is to make Sabah state more accessible for travelers with disabilities and elderly people, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew. According to her, Sabah could be a very attractive destination for people with special needs. Many foreign tourists would like to take elderly parents or relatives with disabilities on a trip to Malaysia, and the state needs to develop the appropriate infrastructure. Health, sports, halal tourism could also become new directions for the development of the leisure and travel industry in the region, the minister added.