Tourism industry in Sabah in particular and in Malaysia as a whole has bloomed significantly over the past years. The expansion of this industry and the surge in tourism development over the last decade has significantly contributed to the economic growth of the region. The active role of the Sabah Tourism Promotion Association in promoting Sabah as a tourist attraction and the increase in flights to Kota Kinabalu International Airport as well as the increase in resort development have boosted the tourism industry in this region.
The diverse and unique culture, ethnic origins, food of the Sabah people and its natural heritage such as the diversity of flora and fauna, the region’s remarkable landscape and the rainforest have lured many visitors to this part of Asia. Eco-tourism is one of the major attractions Sabah offers to its visitors. Sandakan, in particular, has relatively more destinations and places of interest for wildlife and adventure than other areas in Sabah. Sandakan has also been promoted as the ‘Gateway to Wildlife’ in this region.
Domestic visitors to Sandakan are mainly visitors from within the state of Sabah but from other towns such as the West Coast, Interior and other parts of the East Coast of Sabah. Other domestic visitors are from the neighbouring state of Sarawak and from West Malaysia. They get into Sandakan predominantly by air (Sandakan Airport) and also by land (cars and coaches). Public transportation by land to Sandakan from other parts of Sabah, especially from Kota Kinabalu, has been enhanced significantly over the past years. Air-conditioned coaches managed by private companies are getting more popular amongst the locals and also visitors travelling from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan.
The peak seasons observed for their arrivals in Sandakan are during school holidays, and festive seasons such as in April, May, August and September.
Foreign visitors to Sandakan come from a wide country of origin. Some come from the neighbouring Asian countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and other Asian countries. Others come from countries as far as France, Brazil, USA, and Russia. Regardless of their countries of origin, these visitors come to Sandakan because Sandakan has something unique to offer either to ‘leisure’ tourist who comes to experience an environment different from their own, or to ‘research’ tourist who come to Sandakan not only to experience the uniqueness of Sandakan but also to study the uniqueness of Sandakan and its natural heritage.
Sandakan has a wide choice of accommodation that fits to every visitor’s budgets. From a classy 4 star hotel accommodation to a simple bed and breakfast or jungle camping lodges, visitors can have a wide choice that suit their tastes and purposes. Even the classy 4 star hotels in Sandakan are very affordable by international standards. Table 11.1 shows a list of accommodations that are available to choose from in Sandakan.
Table 11.1: List of hotels and other accommodations available in Sandakan
| No. | List of Hotel/Accommodation | Telephone No. | No. of Rooms | Room Type | Room Rates (RM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sandakan Renaissance Hotel Mile 1, Jalan Utara, Sandakan |
089 - 213299 | 116 rooms | Superior Pool View Deluxe Double Suite |
263.50 289.00 310.00 550.00 |
| 2. | Hotel Sandakan 4th Avenue, 90000 P. O. Box 1509 90716 Sandakan |
089 – 221122 089 – 221100 |
105 rooms | Superior single Superior double Deluxe single Deluxe double Junior suite single Junior suite double Executive suite (single) Executive suite (double) |
140.00 160.00 160.00 180.00 200.00 220.00 250.00 270.00 |
| 3. | Sanbay Hotel Sandakan Mile 1 ¼, Jalan Leila Sandakan |
089 – 275000 | 58 rooms | Superior Deluxe Suite |
130.00 150.00 200.00 |
| 4. | Jockey Lodge Hotel Block B, Bandar Tong Huat Mile 3, Jalan Utara Sandakan |
089 – 221988 (5 lines) |
40 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe suite |
72.00 90.00 138.00 |
| 5. | Hotel Lutana Lot 1, Block J Bandar Ramai-Ramai Sandakan |
089 – 272111 | 15 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe suite |
59.40 69.30 79.20 |
| 6. | Hotel Ramai Jalan Leila Sandakan |
089 – 273222 (5 lines) |
44 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe single Deluxe double Suite single Suite double |
68.00 78.00 90.00 100.00 140.00 160.00 |
| 7. | Hotel Lee Gardens Lot 9, Block C, Hsiang Garden Taman Siang Sandakan |
089 – 273600 089 – 273611 |
25 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe single Deluxe double Suites |
57.75 68.75 69.30 79.20 111.38 |
| 8. | Hotel City View Lot 1, Block 23 3rd Avenue Sandakan |
089 – 271122 (5 lines) |
29 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe single Deluxe double |
60.00 75.00 85.00 95.00 |
| 9. | Hotel Lagenda Block 24, Lot 11, 1st ,2nd & 3rd Floor, Jalan Dua, Sandakan |
089 – 228799 | 16 rooms | Standard single Standard double |
57.00 67.00 |
| 10. | Hotel Samila Block 13, Jalan Tiga, Sandakan |
089 – 271555 (5 lines) |
17 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe double Family room |
58.00 68.00 78.00 98.00 |
| 11. | Hung Wing Hotel Lot 4, 3rd Avenue, Block 13, Jalan Tiga, Sandakan |
089 – 218855 089 – 218895 |
29 rooms | Standard single/double Deluxe double |
52.00 82.00 |
| 12. | Hotel En Khin No. 50, 3rd Avenue, Sandakan |
089 – 217277 089 – 217383 |
11 rooms | Standard single Standard double |
40.00 50.00 |
| 13. | Hotel New Sabah 18, Jalan Singapura Sandakan |
089 – 218711 089 – 218949 |
28 rooms | Standard single Standard double |
53.55 60.90 |
| 14. | Sepilok Inn Sdn. Bhd. Block 46, Lot 9, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Floor, Church Road, Sandakan |
089 – 271222 (3 lines) |
19 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe double |
56.00 68.00 88.00 |
| 15. | Paris Hotel Jalan Tiga, Sandakan |
089 - 218488 | 20 rooms | Standard single (non A/C) Standard double (non A/C) Standard double |
25.00 35.00 48.00 |
| 16. | Hotel London Lot D1-D2, Block 10, Jalan Empat, Sandakan |
089 – 216371 089 – 216380 |
17 rooms | Standard single Standard double Standard triple |
40.00 50.00 60.00 |
| 17. | Park View Lodge 1st Floor, Lot 2A – 4A Wisma Wemin Leila Road, Sandakan |
089 – 271044 (4 lines) | 25 rooms | Standard single Standard double Deluxe single Deluxe double Superior deluxe |
42.00 47.25 57.75 99.75 180.00 |
| 18. | Grand City Inn Block 20, Jalan Tiga Sandakan |
089 – 221999 (3 lines) |
15 rooms | Economic single Economic double Standard single Standard double Supreme single Supreme double |
30.40 36.00 44.80 54.40 60.80 70.40 |
| 19. | Sepilok Jungle Resort Mile 14, Jalan Labuk Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary Sandakan |
089 – 533031 089 – 533029 |
57 rooms | Twin beds Four beds Double beds Dormitory Twin beds with A/C Executive with A/C |
60.00 100.00 50.00 80.00 75.00 150.00 |
| 20. | Sibuga Resort Sandakan Sandakan |
089 – 660095 | Chalet | VIP Single/Double Standard single Standard double Deluxe single Deluxe double Longhouse |
110.00 33.00 38.50 49.50 55.00 13.20/pax |
| 21. | Palm Resort (Sepilok) Mile 14, Jalan Labuk Sandakan |
Not available | 13 units chalets | Not available | Not available |
| 22. | Sepilok Bed & Breakfast Mile 14, Jalan Labuk Sandakan |
089 – 532288 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 23. | Uncle Tan Mile 16, Jalan Labuk Sandakan |
Tel: 089 – 531917 Fax: 089 – 531639 |
3 rooms Guest house |
Outside Sandakan (jungle camp) | RM15 per person RM20 per person |
Sandakan has a wide variety of attractions, from historical places, wildlife to just places to have a leisure time. Indeed, Sandakan has quite a number to offer. Some of these places of attraction are briefly described in the following:
The Turtle Islands are situated about 32 km north of Sandakan town. Some of these islands are on the Malaysian side of the border, and some within the Philippine’s territory.
Libaran Island is the biggest island of the chain on the Malaysian side and is inhabited by a fishing community. Visitors to this island will have the opportunity to experience life in a typical fishing village. The villagers are good boat builders and the women folks do a lot of weaving of pandan leaves.
The three islands of Selingan, Gulisan and Bakungan Kecil form the Turtle Island Park. Nightly marine turtles come on shore to nest in these islands. The most common species is the Green Turtle, and another species, which is less common, is the Hawksbill.
Langkian Island – scuba diving/fishing
Belian Island – scuba diving/fishing
Tengiatil Island – scuba diving/fishing
This island is situated at the entrance of Sandakan Bay and is a place of historical interest for those who remember this island as POW camp for civilians during the Second World War. Berhala Island, therefore, is a destination for visitors who had relatives or friends interned in the POW Camp during the war. It has a lighthouse on its highest point which signals the end of the long sea journey from China or Singapore.
Today, Berhala Island is also a sanctuary for birds where one can come and enjoy the pleasure of bird watching. 'Berhala' is described in Smythes’ book, ‘Birds of Borneo’ as the site to see many birds of prey – especially the Brahminy Kites, Serpent Eagles and Sea Eagles.
Berhala Island is easily accessible by boats within 10 to 15 minutes ride from Sandakan Port.
North of Libaran Island is the Labuk Bay, in which lie a few islands such as Tagahang, Tetabuan and other smaller islands. These islands are known for its artificial pearl cultivation using scallops instead of the commonly used oyster pearls. Apart from artificial pearl cultivation, these islands are also very popular fishing islands in this region. These islands are accessible via boats from Beluran. One can get to Beluran from Sandakan by road and then get on the boat to these islands.
These islands are situated north of Labuk Bay and are known to be frequented by turtles to nest. These islands are few of the islands that still have their beach unencroached by squatters and therefore, still have unpolluted pure white sand around with water still suitable for swimming. The outer island is surrounded by very deep water. Visitors who have been to these islands and have dived in the area reported that coral reefs are still abundant and fish population are still high, which qualifies the islands as a good recreational diving sites.
The Valley of the Kinabatangan is dotted with many limestone out-crops caves. These caves are the homes of countless swiftlets, which produce the edible birds’ nests – nests built with the saliva of the birds. In the early days, Chinese traders come to visit these caves to harvest the bird's nest for export to China where these nests fetched a good price. Today, birds’ nest remains one of the most expensive commodities from this district.
In the early days, many of the caves were also used as burial sites by the tribal people who inhabit the Kinabatangan riverbanks. Although the caves of the Kinabatangan valleys still exist, only the Gomantong Caves and the Tulug Caves are more popular and are known to visitors outside the region. The Supu Caves, the Suripi Caves and the Batu Timbang Caves are still unknown to many, as tourist attraction.
The Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre was first started in the early sixties by Brian and Barbara Harrisons who first found the orphaned baby Orang utans after their mothers were killed in the logging concessions.
Today, the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre located at about 14 miles north of Sandakan is one of the famous tourist wildlife attraction in the district. It has attracted tourists as well as researchers from all over the world.
This is a museum-like-institution financed by German Government under its foreign technical programme (GTZ). It is housed in the Sepilok Complex and was opened in August 1997. A visit to this site will give the visitor a very good picture of the tropical rain forests, its history and the status of the forest as well as what can be done to preserve them. An educational trail is also provided for those visitors who want to see and learn more about the trees in the rain forests.
Although this centre functions mainly as a research centre for the study of forests including the effects of logging, the insects in the forests, productions from the forests, species found in the forest and also sustainable forest management, the Insect Museum and the Wood Library sections of the centre offer attractions to visitors.
The museum has some very interesting collections of the species of insects found in the jungle. The wood library offers its visitors an experience to learn about the many species of timbers, which are commercially viable in Sabah.
The Crocodile Farm, located 8 miles north of Sandakan, is another place of interest in Sandakan for those who like to see live crocodiles.
This is another historical place of interest in Sandakan. This was the site of the POW Camp where the Japanese had imprisoned more than 3000 men and made them build the Sandakan Air Strip. Towards the end of the War, the Japanese Force marched the surviving prisoners on what was known as the ‘Sandakan-Ranau Death March’.
The Buddhist Temple located on top of Sibuga hill another place of attraction in Sandakan. It has a beautiful view of the Sandakan Bay and harbour. The temple is impressively built with a very well kept landscape.
Apart from the 18-hole golf course- the Sandakan Golf Club and the newly-completed Sibuga Sports Complex, no other public recreational areas that can be found in Sandakan. However, there are several private recreation clubs that are available in Sandakan. There are Hill Top Golf Course, Sibuga Resort, Equestrain Centre and the Sandakan Yatch Club. Some of the high-class hotels in Sandakan do offer many facilities for recreation.
Data available for this chapter include a List of Hotels and other Accommodations in Sandakan as presented in Table 11.1. No up to date data on the exact figures of foreign visitors to Sandakan was available at the time of writing. The difficulty in obtaining this information is due to the fact that most visitors come to Sandakan on their own without going through a tour agents. Sandakan having several entry points such as roads, sea and air also makes it difficult to get the exact estimate of visitor coming into the district.
Although Sandakan has a great potential for tourism industry, there are several issues of concern that can easily destroy the growth of this sector. Some of the major issues of concerns are outlined below.
This is one of the major issues in the tourism sector in Sandakan. Visitors are faced with problems of petty crimes such as being robbed or conned. A significant number of illegals have been reported to be involved in such crimes.
One of the drawbacks faced by the tourism sector in Sandakan is the lack of cleanliness of toilets in eateries, public places and simply the lack of toilet facilities for tourist and public use. The heavily polluted coastline of Sandakan is also a turn-off for tourist. The coastline of Sandakan district, due to the presence of thousands of squatters, is heavily polluted by solid wastes of all kinds.
Most of the beaches along Sandakan coastline are inundated with garbage that are being washed ashore by tides. The sewerage systems in Sandakan also discharge much of the effluents to the sea making the beach and the water unsuitable for any recreation activities.
The recent forest fires in Kalimantan Indonesia as well as the rampant open burning locally exacerbated by the dry spell in Sabah had plagued many towns in Malaysia including Sandakan with haze problems. Haze can be detrimental to health when the air pollution index exceed the critical level. The haze problem that hits the state has greatly affected the tourism industry in the State.