KOTA KINABALU, Feb 3 — China’s Consul-General's Office in Sabah here has asked the state government to formulate an action plan to help send back “thousands” of tourists stuck here following the state's decision to bar direct flights from China following the coronavirus outbreak.
The office said in a statement last night that many Chinese tourists who were in Sabah for the Lunar New Year festivities were now stranded because flights have either been significantly reduced or grounded.
"The Sabah state government unilaterally announced the suspension of all flights from China. The number of flights between China and Sabah has been significantly reduced and grounded, which has caused thousands of Chinese tourists stranded in Sabah to return.
“After the Spring Festival holiday, many students urgently need to return to school in China, and many office workers also have to go back to work.
“The Chinese Consulate-General receives hundreds of calls every day asking how to return to China, and tourists are anxious. In this regard, I hope that the Sabah state government will assume the main responsibility and properly arrange the return of Chinese tourists stranded in Sabah due to the grounding of flights.
“I hope that the relevant departments of the state government will formulate practical plans to coordinate flights and properly arrange the return of Chinese tourists as soon as possible,” it said in a statement here.
The office was responding to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew’s statement that the state would work with the office to assist Chinese tourists trying to return to China.
On January 30, Liew announced that the state would temporarily ban all flights from China into Sabah which led to cancellation of many scheduled and chartered flights, leaving holidaying Chinese tourists already in the state stranded.
There are about 117 direct flights from 15 cities in China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong to the state weekly.
The 117 flights do not include an earlier suspension of 10 flights from Wuhan, comprising Air Asia (seven) and Malindo Air (three) flights, as well as seven flights from Shanghai via Spring Airlines, following the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Although the state does not have jurisdiction over flights, it has the immigration control to not allow Chinese nationals into the state.
It could not be immediately determined how many China tourists were affected by the reduced or cancelled flights.
Liew said the state would continue to work with the Consul-General's Office to assist Chinese citizens in returning, or extending their visas if they pass all health checks.
On January 31, the Chinese government sent a charter plane to Kota Kinabalu to bring their citizens from Hubei province who were in Sabah back to Wuhan city. A total of 123 Chinese nationals boarded the plane.
Sabah’s tourism industry is highly dependent on China with over 40 per cent of its international tourist arrivals from China.
