SIBU: The Sarawak government is giving emphasis to ecotourism, said Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said Sibu, for example, is not only rich in Heritage Trail but also serves as a gateway to hinterland areas such as Kapit and Song.
Sibu, he stressed, is in line with his ministry’s effort to promote Sarawak as an ecotourism place, adding that it is crucial to properly maintain and promote all historical zones in the town.
“It is not always about a place where we can buy things from a shopping complex. Normally, the tourists will look for an area which is related to ecotourism.
“This is where you can see that the link (road) between Sibu and the hinterlands of Sarawak can be the gateway, this is the product we are promoting,” he said when officiating at the closing ceremony of the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) 2023 at Dataran Tun Tuanku Bujang here last night (July 23).
Abdul Karim, who is also Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, stressed the importance of more outreach programmes to engage the community, especially schoolchildren.
“With that, we could instil a sense of identity and belonging to the young generation. It signifies the importance we place on arts, culture and heritage whereby each one of us can contribute and help to preserve, be it individually or collectively,” he said.
The minister pointed out that parents and grandparents play an important role in providing links about the people’s past, historical information, sentiments and values to children and grandchildren.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Michael Tiang Ming Tee, Deputy Minister of Tourisms, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting, Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng Jin Ek, Lanang MP Alice Lau, SMC chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh and SMC deputy chairman Mohamed Abdullah Izkandar Roseley.
