A total of 35 awards were given out for this years Sabah Tourism Awards 2017 Winners. The prestigious tourism appreciation event was held on the 2nd December at the Sutera Harbor in Kota Kinabalu.
The Sabah Tourism Awards are also a tribute to individuals and organizations that have excelled and contributed to the development of tourism and hospitality in Sabah for 2015/2016. These industry awards are also held once every two years.
The awards night was officiated by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who took the opportunity to mention that the ministry had recorded almost 3 million tourist arrivals up to November 2017.
Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun also mentioned that beginning Dec 20, a new airline, Batik Air Indonesia will commence direct flights between Jakarta and Kota Kinabalu.
Sabah will also see direct flights from Chengdu, Changsha and Tianjin starting 2018 while the ministry will be focusing on Rural Tourism in Sabah for the same year.
Sabah Tourism Awards 2017 Winners
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| The Sabah Tourism Awards - A Tribute to Excellence |
With over 50+ nominations from 13 categories, winners were selected from a panel of judges that took a couple of months of intense judging. Below is the list of this year's winners.
Best Tourism Attraction-Nature in Sabah
Winner: Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
Best Tourism Attraction-Non- Nature/Man-made in Sabah
Winner: Mari Mari Cultural Village
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| Dr Wong Siew Te accepting the Best Tourism Attraction for Nature |
Best 5 Star Hotel in Sabah
Winner: Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa
Best 3-4 Star Hotel in Sabah
Winner: Ming Garden Hotel & Residences
Best 2 Star and below Hotel in Sabah
Winner: Hotel Sixty3
Best Nature Lodge in Sabah
Winner: Borneo Nature Lodge
Best Homestay in Sabah
Winner: Koposizon Homestay Paper
Best Dive Resort in Sabah
Winner: Sipadan Mabul Resort Water Bungalow
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| Sabah's Most Improved Wholesaler Award |
Best Tour Operator in Sabah
Best Inbound (Malaysia/Sabah) Tour Operator
Winner: Amazing Borneo Tours & Events Sdn Bhd
Best Overseas Tour Operator
- China: Century Holiday International Travel Service Co. Ltd
- Taiwan: Comfort Travel Services Co. Ltd/ Cola Tour
- Korea: Modetour Network Inc.
- Japan: H.I.S. Co. Japan
Most Improved Wholesaler
Winner: Guangdong China Women International Travel Services Co. Ltd (China)
Best Inbound Tour Package
Winner: 3D2N Bird Watching Tour at Kinabatangan (Kinabatangan Jungle Camp)
Best MICE Contributor
Winner: Sounds Tech Production Sdn Bhd
Best Tour Guide in Sabah
Winner: Napoleon Bin Dimus (Borneo Rainforest Lodge)
Most Promising Tour Guide in Sabah
Winner: Mohd. Shirou R. Lerado (S.I Tours)
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| Carol West receiving the award for Best Tourism Article |
Best Tourism Article Published in Malaysia
Winner: Heart of Conservation by Ryan Goh (New Straits Times)
Best Tourism Article Published Overseas
Winner: Reefs, Wrecks & Barracudas by Carol West (Silkwinds)
Best TV Programme on Sabah Produced in Malaysia
No Winner: Submissions did not meet criteria
Best TV Programme on Sabah Produced Overseas
No Winner: Submissions did not meet criteria
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| Best Online Media for this years STA17 |
Best Online Media for Sabah
Winner: Once in a Life Time: Conquer Mt. Kinabalu Summit by Potchara Kreangkred
Best Restaurant – Hotel/Resort
Winner: Naan-Flavours of India, Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa
Best Restaurant – Stand Alone
Winner: Hokkaido Sakagura Restaurant
Best Shopping Complex in Sabah
Winner: IMAGO Shopping Mall
Best Night Spot Experience in Sabah
Winner: Shamrock Irish Bar, Waterfront
Best Spa in Sabah - Stand Alone
Winner: Helen Beauty Reflexology
Best Spa in Sabah - Hotel/Resort
Winner: CHI, The Spa, Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
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| AirAsia receives the Best Partner Airline for Malaysia |
Best Partner Airlines for Sabah
Foreign Based Winners
1. China Southern Airlines (China)
2. Eastar Jet (Korea)
3. Spring Airlines (China)
Malaysia Based Winners
Winner: AirAsia
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| Robert Lo receives the Minister Special Awards |
Best Community-Based Tourism Initiative for Rural
Winner: Padas Farmstay, Tenom
Best Golfing Experience in Sabah
Winner: Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club
Minister Special Awards
Recipient: Kadamaian Tourism Association
Recipient: Robert Lo
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| Winners from the previous Sabah Tourism Awards under the media category |
These years Sabah Tourism Awards theme was masquerade and the awards was a black tie and evening dress with sit down dinner. In between the awards, special performances by local artist entertained guests.
2017 is also Malaysia's awards year where the Sarawak Hornbill Awards and Tourism Malaysia Awards are being held for the previous years work.
Once again, I would like to congratulate all the Sabah Tourism Awards 2017 Winners. For the full list of winners and nominees, head over to the Sabah Tourism Awards website. And if you have not visited Sabah, I highly recommend you do so.