KOTA KINABALU: Sabah now eyes sports tourism as a niche market in efforts to further boost and broaden the tourism industry, says Datuk Christina Liew.
The state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister said the move is to cater to the needs of travellers coming to the state to participate in international sports events such as the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon and Borneo Marathon.
"There are many types of niche tourism as travellers have varied interests, and the ministry thinks it is high time to promote sports tourism, apart from ecotourism and wildlife tourism.
"Sabah will also be hosting an international golf tournament and this is part of sports tourism, too.
"We want to position Kota Kinabalu as a premier destination for outdoor multi-sporting events," she said after announcing the inaugural KKCity XMultiSport Challenge 2023 here.
Liew assured the organisers that her ministry would support the multi-sport event scheduled from Nov 9-12.
The event has three components - Triathlon and Duathlon which serve as the main event with a target of 700 participants and the KKCity Neon Run with an estimated 3,000 participants involving athletes, visitors and locals.
"We are partnering with the organisers (XMultiSport) and offering attractive prizes for the winners. We welcome enthusiasts of extreme multi-sports and participants.
"It will be a combination of international tourists (20%), domestic tourists (30%) and local participants (50%)," she said.
They hoped to draw participants from Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore.
She hoped for the media to promote the event to draw interest among local and international athletes and extreme sports enthusiasts.
"In this way, we can get some 'big names' to come and participate in the event," she added.
She said the ministry hopes that this multi-sport event will become an annual affair.
Earlier, XMultiSport manager Ahmad Syuaib Nasir said the primary objective of XMultiSport Challenge 2023 is to elevate the sports tourism sector in Sabah to place the state as a prominent hub for international endurance sports events.
Those interested to participate can get further details at www.xmultisport.com. Registration for KKCity XMultiSport Challenge 2023 will remain open until Oct 16, 2023.
