KUCHING: Zuzuche, one of China’s largest car rental platforms targeting both domestic and international markets, is tapping into the Sabah and Sarawak market for independent travel and self-drive tours.
Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the company has identified East Malaysia as having significant potential for development.
“During the discussion with Zuzuche, it was highlighted that independent travel and self-drive tours are emerging as trends, further fuelling Zuzuche’s growth.
“For East Malaysia, self-drive tourism is focused on cities with convenient flight access, such as Kota Kinabalu (around Kinabalu National Park), Semporna (a social media hotspot), and Kuching and its surrounding areas,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Tiong added that the platform’s next step is to promote less-travelled routes in Sabah and Sarawak by leveraging key opinion leaders (KOLs).
He also noted that his ministry is actively working to transfer the regulation of transportation for tourism purposes, such as charter services, campervans, and tour bus licenses, under its jurisdiction.
“Zuzuche recommends starting with West Malaysia’s classic self-drive routes, which are more familiar to Malaysians. In the future, it hopes to develop a more diverse range of tourism products, covering a wider range of destinations,” he added.
Zuzuche, a global self-drive travel platform widely loved by Chinese users, was established in 2011 and has been in operation for 13 years.
Tiong also noted that the number of outbound travellers from China has surpassed 150 million by 2019, before the pandemic.
