Sabah, like the rest of Malaysia, will be celebrating the Nation's 49^th Independence Day tomorrow, 31^th August 2006. The city of Kota Kinabalu will be holding a grand concert at the Padang Merdeka on the eve of the Merdeka Day. On the morning of 31^th August, there will be a Merdeka Parade along the waterfront and Sabah's Head of State and the rest of the cabinet members and local dignitaries will be present to witness the Parade. Malaysians of all ages in Sabah will converge to celebrate the nation's proud moments.

This month we have had a number of international events happening in Sabah. The Sabah International Expo was held in the first week of August attracting more than 10 countries. The annual Sandakan Day Memorial service attracted more than 200 Australians paying tribute to the fallen soldiers that perished during World War 2. The Borneo International Jewellery Exhibition was held for the third year in Sabah and a group of Australian army veterans commemorated the 40^th anniversary of the Indonesian Confrontation at Sanzac school in Kota Kinabalu to remember all the Australians who served in Sabah in the ‘60s. With the summer holiday visitors from Asian region and Europe continue to arrive and enjoy our range of championship golf courses, spas, tropical beaches and diverse wildlife. Backpackers and adventure enthusiasts continue to arrive to scale the highest mountain in Malaysia, Mt. Kinabalu.

The Diving industry in Sabah continues to thrive with divers from all over the world visiting the many beautiful and magnificent marine life in the surrounding waters of Sipadan Island, Mabul, Mataking, Kapalai and Lankayan - all on the east coast, Mantanani, Layang Layang Atoll, Pulau Tiga, and Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park of the west coast. The PADI Course Director Training Course, which is the highest achievable level of training within PADI, has been held in Sabah for the last 8 years consecutively. This alone testifies that Sabah's east coast is a safe place to visit and dive.

The Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the busiest airport after KLIA, has started its RM1.4 billion upgrading and expansion project. Although works are in progress the Airport management has assured travelers of minimal disruptions.

Sabah has over 40% repeat visitors and a 25% compound growth in arrivals for the last five years. The Hotels and Resorts in Sabah maintain high occupancies and are ready for more competition as more new hotels will be emerging in the next year or two.

We look forward to welcoming you to The Land Below The Wind - Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

To all Malaysians, Happy Merdeka Day!

For more information please contact:

Sabah Tourism Board - Market Communications Section
E-mail: hezrina@sabahtourism.com , dlgaban@sabahtourism.com , info@sabahtourism.com