KUCHING: Sarawak has recorded 1,141,184 tourist arrivals into Sarawak from January to September this year as compared to 92,174 tourist arrivals for the corresponding period in 2021.
Tourism Malaysia (Planning) director-general Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof said Sarawak is one of the tourist destinations that offers various tourism activities based on eco-tourism, culture, adventure, gastronomy and festivals.
“The variety of landforms found in Sarawak makes it an attractive eco-tourism destination for fans of extreme activities such as climbing, cave exploration and others.
“Among the locations for such activities are Mulu Cave and Niah Cave in Miri, Silabur Cave in Serian district, Gunung Santubong and Bukit Selabat in Kuching, kayaking in Sungai Semadang and other interesting adventure activities in the state.
“With the diversity of ethnic groups found in Sarawak, it is certain that various foods can also be tasted such as kolok mee, Sarawak laksa, chicken pansuh, fish umai and Sarawak layer cake,” he said during the Tourism Malaysia luncheon with industry players at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) on Saturday (Dec 17).
In November last year, he added Kuching City was listed in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Gastronomy and this achievement has positioned Kuching as a food paradise in Sarawak.
“Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), which is an annual music festival organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), which was initially only attended by local music fans, has now grown and become famous among international musicians.
“This year marks the 25th anniversary of the festival and various activities have been planned such as performances by local and international musicians, music classes and cultural exhibitions,” he said.
In addition to RWMF, he added Sarawak also organises various international cultural festivals such as Borneo Cultural Festival, Borneo Jazz Festival, Borneo International Kite Festival and others.
He also noted that 2020 to 2021 are challenging years for the tourism sector in this country where the COVID-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO) had slowed down tourism activities and to some extent had affected the economy for tourism industry players across the country.
“However, in an effort to restore the tourism sector throughout the country, various efforts have been implemented by Tourism Malaysia such as the granting of support grants for the organisation of tourism events under the Tourism Sector Matching Grant (GSSP) and Malaysia Tourism Promotion (GAMELAN),” he said.
