KOTA KINABALU: The perseverance and hard work of two renowned tourism figures have greatly contributed to Sabah’s development into the popular destination that it is today.
Capital Reflecting on the early days of AirAsia, CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said that most people scoffed at him when he originally envisioned the airline, some 20 years ago.
After moving from the music industry, where he worked with musicians such as Sheila Majid and Jamal Abdillah and sold “dangdut” songs, to the airline industry, Fernandes admitted to the scepticism he encountered.
“What airline knowledge did I possess? “I was not taken seriously by anyone,” he stated yesterday at a press conference held at the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) office.
Fernandes acknowledged the STB, under the late Datuk Irene Benggon-Charuruks, as a significant early proponent despite the initial scepticism.
“The first people to come to my office when I was discussing buying AirAsia in Kuala Lumpur were from the Sabah Tourism Board, led by Irene.”
He also described Tengku Zainal Adlin Mahmood, the former chairman of the STB, giving a remarkable 17-hour presentation in which he displayed every photo he had taken, as well as every flower, animal, and human in Sabah.
“One thing stuck with me after I left: Sabah’s people are passionate and proud of their country. Amazingly nice, accepting, tolerant, and appreciative of all cultures are the people here. It serves as a global model.”
Fernandes also credited Sabah’s resolute assistance with improving the state’s connectivity with the outside world.
“I think we’ve been successful in increasing Malaysia’s connectivity through reasonably priced travel. Bringing the world to Sabah was our second aim.
“When I look at what we’ve achieved, it far exceeds our initial dreams, considering the destinations we’re reaching now and those we plan to in the future,” he stated.
