Over 50,000 visitors expected in Labuan for Borneo Floral Festival 2025 in major tourism push

Borneo Post

05-05-2025

Invited guests and volunteers in a group photo during the pre-BFF event.
KUCHING (May 5): Labuan will be hosting the BORNEO FLORA FESTIVAL (BFF) 2025 from July 26 to 30, which is expected to draw more than 50,000 local and foreign tourists to the duty-free island.
Organised by Department of Federal Territories, Labuan Corporation and Putrajaya Corporation, the BFF 2025 will also engage several other government agencies and relevant private parties.
BFF is inspired by Floria Putrajaya and aims to promote Labuan as a tourist attraction in Borneo.
The festival will take place at the Labuan Sea Sports Recreational Park where more than 200,000 species of flora and fauna will be showcased for visitors.
Among the 20 floral themes to be exhibited are 'Borneo Rainforest Gem', 'Magical Park', 'Night Light Park', 'Underwater World', 'Instagram Park', 'Artistic Bazaar', 'Duty Free Bazaar', and 'Luxury Oasis Camp'.
A promotional booth was launched at the Labuan Airport on May 3 to serve as the pre-BFF event.
Meanwhile, a group of more than 1,200 volunteers including local undergraduates took part in the preparation of a seedling nursery and the transplant of 200,000 flower seedlings at Tapak Semaian Pulau Buah.
Official BFF ambassador Farah Nadeera (fourth left) in a group photo with the invited guests at the pre-BFF event.
A special announcement was also made on the appointment of local artiste Farah Nadeera Zaini as the official ambassador of Borneo Floral Festival 2025
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said this year's Borneo Floral Festival is one of the major tourism events promoted by the government to uplift Labuan's economic development, giving a boost to hoteliers, eatery operators and local entrepreneurs.
She said Labuan has great potential in tourism development as well as other industries such as finance and oil and gas.
She believes the upcoming event will further enhance the island's economic development, bringing about more business to various sectors including hotels, transportation, food and beverage, and accommodation.
The government encourages all Malaysians, particularly those from Sabah, Sarawak, as well as Bruneians to actively take part in the BFF 2025.
Under the leadership and planning of the Madani Government, several transformation programmes are being implemented to further develop the economy and tourism sector in Labuan.
The current scenarios and future development for Labuan include:
Official Borneo Floral Festival 2025 ambassador Farah Nadeera poses during the promotional event.
1. International Business and Financial Centre
Labuan will continue to play its role as an International Business and Financial Centre (IBFC), attracting global financial institutions. The Labuan IBFC has provided a conducive environment for entrepreneurs particularly in the fields of Islamic finance, digital banking, and fintech.
The government aspires to transform Labuan into a digital banking and Islamic finance hub so as to provide a strong ecosystem for the digital banking and fintech industry players.
A section of the volunteers help to transplant flower seedlings at Tapak Semaian Pulau Buah.
2. Duty Free Island
Labuan is a paradise for duty-free shopping aficionados.
As a free port, Labuan offers substantial savings on a plethora of items, from luxury goods to everyday essentials.
Labuan is scattered with numerous duty-free outlets, especially around the ferry terminal and Financial Park area.
These shops are treasure troves for discounted perfumes and cosmetics from renowned brands like Chanel and Dior, liquor and tobacco products at significant savings, and a variety of chocolates and confectioneries.
3. Infrastructure development
The Madani government has set aside RM58 million to develop several major infrastructure projects in Labuan, with emphasis on the improvement of social economy and tourism.
One of the major development projects is the first phase of the Labuan Waterfront, which is aimed at drawing in more tourists to give a boost to local tourism. In addition, the government is in the midst of upgrading the utility infrastructure to support economic activities.
Federal Territories Department director-general Datuk Seri Noridah Abdul Rahim (front row, third left) poses with the BFF Ambassador team.
4. Digital and Islamic Finance
The Labuan Development Blueprint includes the aspiration of seeing the federal territory emerge as the digital and Islamic finance centre. Such plan includes attracting investments in fintech, digital banking, and asset management, with a stronger emphasis on investments for Islamic finance and environmental, social and governance (ESG).
These strategic initiatives in terms of tourism and economic development are aimed at positioning Labuan as a vibrant and sustainable tourist destination, creating growth and opportunities for the locals and tourists alike.
In a nutshell, Labuan has long become a global business and financial centre that attracts several financial institutions and corporations.
Additionally, the federal territory is equipped with modern basic infrastructure including the Labuan Financial Park, Labuan War Memorial, Labuan Airport, and Labuan Ferry Terminal.
Apart from the recently-concluded Labuan International Sea Challenge and the forthcoming BFF, the Borneo Arts Festival which will be held in September is expected to attract both local and international participants.
Previously, Dr Zaliha had stated that the federal government will continue to give due attention to the economic development in Labuan towards ensuring its development progress is on par with its counterparts in developing countries.