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Sandakan a Town Fuelled by the Golden
Crop Coupled with Tourism Wealth
development in Mile 3, Mile
4, Mile 6 and Mile 8 more
and more people have been
gradually moving there. The
environment there is better
and people can get nice
properties which are also
affordable.”
Because of the boom at this
area which is also known
as the Golden Belt, a lot
of new developments are
coming up to cater to the
shift of population. And
because there is an increase
many landed properties
and low rise apartments are
doing well too.”
Tourism Boom
When the war ended,
Sandakan town Sabah
received a 17.6% increase
in tourist arrivals or 3.38
million visitors in 2013
compared to the previous
year, the highest growth
ever recorded. And in 2014,
with the Visit Malaysia Year
campaign on a roll, the
Thriving Mile 4, Prima Square and Bandar Indah, Sandakan
A
lso known as Little
Hong Kong, Sandakan
is the second-largest
city in Sabah after Kota
Kinabalu. It is located on the
east coast of the island and
is known as the gateway for
ecotourism destinations in
Sabah. In the early years,
Sandakan served as a major
port for early settlers to
Sabah.
Sandakan is a captivating
town with its very own
charm, and it has an
intriguing history that
traces back to the early
1870s. In the early 1900’s
modernization began in
Sandakan with the building
of rows of corrugated iron
roofs brick shops. Roads
were metalled and by 1912,
motor cars had made their
appearance on the roads of
Sandakan
The timber industry which
made its debut in 1885
was to become Sandakan’s
biggest money earner and
the timber was marketed
mainly to Hong Kong and
China. The Sulus and the
Bajaus mainly concentrated
on fishing, collecting forest
product and trading. It was
a thriving little town, but all
business came to an abrupt
10
end when the Japanese
invaded Borneo during
World War II in 1945
Rising from the Ashess
When the war ended,
Sandakan town was nearly
totally destroyed, partly from
the bombings in the process
of liberation and the rest. As
a result, when North Borneo
became a British Colony in
1946, the capital was shifted
to Jesselton, now known as
Kota Kinabalu.
Three years after the
war, nearly the whole of
Sandakan town site was reoccupied. Businesses were
revived and facilities such
as the “Padang” (field) and
the Sandakan Recreational
Club were also restored.
The timber industry was
reorganized and resulted
in benefiting the timber
businessmen of Sandakan
as well as boosting the local
economy.
With an estimated
population of 222,817
people, Sandakan’s
economy today has
diversified into the
agricultural base especially
in the oil palm industry.
It has also ventured into
www.PropertyHunter.com.my
the tourism industry,
concentrating on ecotourism and wild-life
conservat ion. As such,
Sandakan is now usually
referred to as “The gateway
to Borneo’s Wildlife.”
The Shift
In recent years, Sandakan
has moved the centre of
gravity from the city centre
towards areas such as Mile3,
Mile 4, Mile 6 and Mile 8.
According to Quek Siew Hau,
Managing Director of Wah
Mie Group, this is a natural
process.
In the olden days there was
not much development
in the outskirts of town,
but many businesses have
shifted their operations
to areas such as Bandar
Ramai-Ramai, Bandar Leila,
Bandar Nam Tung, Bandar
Maju, Bandar Kim Fung,
Bandar Pasaraya, Bandar
Letat, Bandar Indah Jaya,
Bandar Utama, Bandar
Perdana, Bandar Labuk Jaya,
Bandar Sibuga Jaya, and
Prima Square.
Quek said, “20 years ago
everyone liked to stay
close to the city and their
business. But due to the
With an estimated population of 222,817
people, Sandakan’s economy today has
diversified into the agricultural base
especially in the oil palm industry. It has
also ventured into the tourism industry,
concentrating on eco-tourism and wildlife conservation. As such, Sandakan is
now usually referred to as “The gateway
to Borneo’s Wildlife.”
of residential areas, the
commercial activities have
also rise and is now more
vibrant than the city centre
itself.
state Tourism, Culture and
Environment Minister Datuk
Panglima Masidi Manjun
expects an increase up to
3.8 million visitors.
“Although the main city
centre is not very popular
anymore, prices of
residential properties have
dropped a lot. However the
commercial activity is still
going strong so prices of
commercial properties are
still good,” said Quek.
To cater to this influx of
arrivals, the RM170 million
Sandakan Airport (LTS)
upgrade is underway and is
expected to be completed
by the end of this year.
Deputy Transport Minister
Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi
said the project was aimed
at providing comfort to
passengers.
He added: “Prices are better
than KK (Kota Kinabalu), but
still not cheap. And this is
mainly due to the increase
of land prices and building
cost. However, a lot of local
developers are still building
“Upgrading includes work on
the terminal facade, Central
Utility Building, internal and
external finishing for the
walls, ceiling and floors, fixed