Sabah is in for good times in the tourism industry. However, this should not be a reason to be complacent, said State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

He said the State recorded a total of 3.74 million tourists last year, bringing in an estimated RM7.8 billion in revenue.

"Good thing about tourism is that the money goes straight to the operators. I think we should continuously and persistently improve the quality of services that we offer to foreigners, that is how we can do better," he said when unveiling Promenade Hotel's Dynasty Chinese Restaurant new look, here, Wednesday.

"Our biggest competitor is not the country's governance but ourselves…what can we do today to make it better than yesterday and what we can learn today to make sure tomorrow is better than today.

"We can only look forward to better things…please help local operators. If you love Sabah, you need to give support to our local operators, meaning to say give a good name to local restaurants, hotels, and many others.

"You may not realise that the little assistance to every local operator can go a long way towards creating a more sustainable business in Sabah," he said.

He also said Sabah can learn from other countries such as Vietnam and Bali which are also popular tourist destinations.

"We have a better potential than Bali actually, but the good thing about Bali that makes it very popular in the culture, people go there to experience the culture.

"This is exactly what we should leverage. We should consider tourists coming to our State and give them value for money by providing as many products and services as possible so that they feel it is worth coming over and over again to Sabah," he added.

He also stressed on the need for operators to be honest while conducting business because word of mouth can spoil the image of the State.

Masidi also praised City Hall under the leadership of Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai for a good job done in making sure the State Capital is not only clean but also has a variety of products and services available for visitors.

He also talked a bit about the history of Kota Kinabalu, especially with Sabah Tourism Board Building celebrating 100 years of its existence.