Sabah state minister for tourism, culture and environment Masidi Manjun is aware that Kuching is quietly making plans to rival Kota Kinabalu in the travel trade. But he can be forgiven this festive season for feeling smug when declaring that KK is miles ahead of Kuching in the battle for tourist dollars.

This Chinese New Year, 22 chartered flights landed in KK - 15 from China Southern Airlines alone. Also there was an unusually heavy influx of Koreans and Singaporeans, besides the usual traffic from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Traffic from Taipei has been boosted by the recent inauguration of direct flights to KK by Air Asia.

S kuching international airport 130107 runway urprisingly, the nearby Singaporeans seem to be shying away from Kuching despite having direct flights.

Still the recent travel alert warning issued by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur regarding Sabah's east coast doesn't seem to have much effect.

"Kuching may be the seventh most liveable city in southeast Asia, according to a recent survey," said Masidi. "But KK has more to offer."

He was giving an update on the travel trade in Sabah in response to Kuching announcing its plans to attract more visitors for this year.

Kuching South Mayor James KS Chan has said his city will bank on its status as one of the most liveable cities in the region in competing with KK.

"We will emphasise on a jungle city, green, safe, with proper roads and few traffic jams," said Chan in stressing that he was aware that KK had an excellent seaside setting and many golf courses. "However, we are also in favour of working together with KK to market both cities to the travel trade."

Study in contrasts

It's not known whether there will be any takers for Chan's idea of jointly selling Kuching and KK. Both capitals are not only a study in contrasts but are quite a distance from each other.

For KK, Masidi to port kota kinabalu aerial view 260209 uts golfing, beautiful sunsets in seaside settings, the bluest ocean at Sipadan, and the most tolerant people in the country. And there's the Orang Utan sanctuary in Sabah which is six times as large as the island of Singapore.

Elsewhere, KK's waterfront is by the seaside while Kuching is by a river noted Masidi in seizing on the Sarawak capital's most vulnerable point. 

"Sabah receives 40 percent repeat visitors in terms of international tourists every year, thanks to our friendly people and the high quality of our products and services.

"With 109 international and 320 domestic flights per week, the KK International Airport is the second busiest in the country after the Kuala Lumpur International Airport," beamed Masidi.

All this despite an incomplete runway at the KKIA which is still 11 percent unfinished, following logistics and contract issues. This has reportedly held up more direct flights from new regions. An additional 15 international destinations and the entry of another 13 airlines are under consideration by the state government.

For state minister of resource development and information technology Dr Yee Moh Chai, Sabah's natural beauty and a multi-cultural people with a high degree of tolerance are its plus points.

He was giving his take on KK at the on-going exhibition, 'The story of Kota Kinabalu - Past, Present, Future'.

K port kota kinabalu 260209 K, more than a century old, began as a little fishing village called Deasoka which later changed its name to Singgah Mata, then Api Api, then it was British Chartered Company town of Jesselton before settling on its present name in 1963 after the formation of Malaysia.

An Air Asia study last year showed that KK and Sabah is now the main destination for domestic tourists in Malaysia.

However Kuching plans to give the Sabah capital a run for its money. New five star hotels like the Pullman, Four Seasons, Ascot and Sheraton have come up in Kuching recently, indicating growing confidence in the city's future.

Indeed there are those in the travel trade in KK who see the advantages of marketing the city together with Miri in northern Sarawak which provides access to the famous Mulu Caves.

Proximity is one issue the Kuching South Mayor is banking on to market Kuching over KK in Singapore. But as it stands now, the travel trade concedes that visitors from the island republic can be persuaded to visit Kuching "but only on their way to KK".