Sabah Tourism Revenue 2026 — RM8.74B Receipts & RM13.7B Value Added
Sabah recorded RM8.74 billion in tourism receipts in 2025 (Sabah Tourism Board, via Bernama), up about 20% from RM7.28 billion in 2024. Separately, DOSM puts the value added by tourism industries at RM13.7 billion in 2024, 12% of state GDP, with 387,600 tourism jobs. The two measures are different and not directly comparable. No official spend per visitor is published.
Receipts were RM8.34 billion in 2018 and RM8.74 billion in 2025. Full-year figures for 2019–2022 were not found in published sources, so they are not shown; arrivals fell from 4.2 million in 2019 to 0.37 million in 2021.
Source: Sabah Tourism Board figures as reported by Malay Mail (2017–2018), Nabalu News (2023–2024) and Bernama (2025)
How much does Sabah earn from tourism?
The Sabah Tourism Board estimated RM8.74 billion in tourism receipts in 2025, from 3,793,709 visitor arrivals (Bernama, 31 January 2026). That is about 20% more than the RM7.28 billion projected for 2024, which was itself up from RM5.76 billion in 2023 (Nabalu News). Before the pandemic, receipts were RM8.34 billion in 2018 (Malay Mail, 19 February 2019). Arrivals grew 20.5% in 2025, almost the same rate as receipts.
What is tourism worth to Sabah's economy?
DOSM measures tourism differently, as the value added by tourism industries. Its Regional Tourism Satellite Account puts that at RM13.7 billion in 2024, up 4.2%, or 12% of Sabah's GDP (11.7% in 2023). Retail trade generated 47.3% of that value added, accommodation and food and beverage 29.7%, travel agencies, culture, sports and recreation 13.5%, and transport and fuel retail 9.5% (Malay Mail, 16 December 2025).
Retail trade and accommodation with food and beverage generated more than three quarters of tourism value added in 2024.
Source: DOSM Regional Tourism Satellite Account Sabah 2024, as reported by Malay Mail, 16 December 2025
Who spends: visitors from outside Sabah vs residents
No official split of receipts by country or by domestic and international visitors is published. DOSM's satellite account does report that in 2024 visitors from outside Sabah ("inbound": international 49.1%, Peninsular Malaysia 40.6%, Sarawak 10.3%) accounted for 51.1% (RM6.2 billion) of internal tourism consumption in Sabah, and Sabah residents travelling within the state 48.9%. DOSM's "inbound" therefore includes other Malaysians, so it is not the same as international visitors. In 2025, international visitors were 39.5% of arrivals (1,498,709) and Malaysians 60.5% (2,295,000) (Sabah Tourism Board). The largest international markets by arrivals were China, Brunei, South Korea, Indonesia and Singapore; see visitor arrivals.
Visitors from outside Sabah, including other Malaysians, accounted for just over half of tourism consumption in 2024.
Source: DOSM Regional Tourism Satellite Account Sabah 2024, as reported by Malay Mail, 16 December 2025
How many jobs does tourism support?
Tourism industries employed 387,600 people in 2024, up 6.9% from 362,700 in 2023 and 22.6% of all employment in Sabah (DOSM, via Borneo Post and Malay Mail). Retail trade provided 44.5% of those jobs and accommodation and food services 41.6%, together about 86%. Tourism jobs grew more slowly than visitor arrivals, which rose 20.4% in 2024. No official estimate of indirect tourism employment is published.
Frequently asked questions
Q How much did Sabah earn from tourism in 2025?
Q Why do some sources say RM13.7 billion?
Q How many jobs does tourism support in Sabah?
Q How much does each visitor spend?
Sources & References 6 sources
Last verified: 3 October 2026
Tourism receipts
- Bernama, 31 January 2026: Sabah generates RM8.74 billion in tourism receipts in 2025 RM8.74bn receipts; 3,793,709 arrivals; aiming for 4 million in 2026.
- Nabalu News: RMK-12 drives development in Sabah's tourism, culture and environment sectors Receipts RM7.28bn in 2024 and RM5.76bn in 2023.
- Malay Mail, 19 February 2019: Sabah hits record-breaking tourism numbers Receipts RM8.342bn in 2018 and RM7.83bn in 2017.
- Sabah Tourism Board: Visitor arrivals by nationality 2025 (preliminary) 3,793,709 arrivals: 2,295,000 Malaysian, 1,498,709 international.
DOSM Regional Tourism Satellite Account, Sabah 2024
- Malay Mail, 16 December 2025: Stats dept — Sabah tourism hits RM13.7b in 2024, now 12pc of state GDP Value added RM13.7bn (12% of GDP); value added by industry; 387,600 jobs (retail 44.5%, accommodation and F&B 41.6%); inbound 51.1% (RM6.2bn) of internal tourism consumption.
- Borneo Post, 16 December 2025: Sabah tourism contributes RM13.7 bln to economy, employs nearly 388,000 Tourism jobs 22.6% of Sabah's workforce.