Visit Malaysia 2026: Fam trip brings journalists, influencers to see less-explored sides of Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: A familiarisation trip filled with cultural discoveries, coupled with immersive nature experiences, was part of a tourism campaign to uncover more of Sabah’s hidden gems.

Themed “Mansau-Ansau North Borneo Trail: Culture, Adventure & Nature”, this five-day tour from last Friday (July 4) to Tuesday, saw nine media personnel and social influencers from Peninsula Malaysia, Sarawak and Brunei taking part.

Participants learning traditional dances.

It was part of the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia and Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, focusing on districts such as Tamparuli, Tuaran, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu and Kudat that are less known to tourists.

Mansau-ansau is a Kadazan Dusun word which means going somewhere.

During this excursion, participants were brought to Sabah’s Tip of Borneo in Kudat and the Floating Coral Bar in Pitas.

A Tourism Malaysia official taking a group photo before cycling.

They were introduced to local cultures at the Walai Tobilung (Tombilung ethnic house), such as bobolian (spiritual healer) ritual, with hands-on experiences with traditional musical instruments, traditional dances, and preparing heritage dishes such as the kuih panjaram.

They learnt basics in motif embroidery in Kudat, corn husk crafts in Kota Marudu, as well as cultural embroidery and parang making in Kota Belud.

Aerial view of the floating coral.

For physical activities and adventure in Kota Belud, these visitors had fun trekking the Aura Montaria hill, known to some as one of the best hiking trails in Sabah and cycling in the mist of a paddy field in Kg Sangkir.

As they moved nearer back to the city, they took a stop in Tuaran to enjoy the Tembara River Cruise, where they saw fireflies, watched the sunset by the river in an immersive appreciation of nature.

A demonstration to panjaram making.

According to Tourism Malaysia director for Sabah Haryanty Abu Bakar, this programme was in line with their effort to promote Sabah’s lesser-explored destinations.

She said by bringing in the media and content creators to introduce Sabah’s hidden gem digitally, they hope to be able to engage more visitors and bring in more people here with the power of storytelling from these individuals.

A group photo before hiking on Aura Montaria.

“The power of storytelling, digital media and content creation has a huge impact on tourism growth in Sabah and Malaysia as a whole,” she said.

“Tourism Malaysia values all forms of collaboration and support in introducing Sabah’s unique tourism portfolio and will continue to strengthen strategic partnerships for the success of the VM2026,” Haryanty added.