The Sabah government is considering marketing a new type of dark tourism to bolster the state's tourism business, but a state minister warned that it is not for the faint of heart.

This type of tourism, according to Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin, involves hauntings related with historical sites in the state.

"This type of dark tourism is currently popular among travelers all over the world, and many people are delighted about it.

"But it takes a certain amount of guts, so those with a weak heart should avoid it," he said.

Jafry claimed that the Sabah Museum Department has devised a new product to draw more tourists to the Agnes Keith House, particularly paranormal seekers interested in spending the night at the British colonial mansion.

"This (Agnes Keith Mansion) is a historical house from the British era that is now one of Sandakan's tourism attractions. It is a reminder of the presence of Western authority in Sabah, and it should be preserved as much as possible because it is part of the state's history "he stated

Safinah Yusop, an assistant curator at the State Museum, said the concept to turn the Agnes Keith House's hauntings into a tourism product will be given to Jafry's ministry soon, and that the product would be available once Sabah reopened its borders to international visitors.

She explained that for a price, local and foreign visitors could camp outside or bring sleeping bags and sleep inside the residence.

"We came up with this concept after hearing from international visitors that they felt uneasy as soon as they walked into the house. However, no international tourists claimed to have seen one (ghost).

"Locals were the only ones who knew of the house's hauntings. Some claimed to have seen someone peeking out a window, while others claimed to have seen a lady on the house's roof "she stated

The Agnes Keith House was named after an American author who resided in Sandakan with her English husband Harry Keith, a British forest conservator, in the 1930s and was best known for her autobiographical reports. She documented apparition sightings and strange occurrences at the property in her articles.