THE Third Sarawak Tourism Master Plan 2021-2035 is timely to support the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 for the tourism sector.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the master plan would spur both immediate and long-term growth and recovery from the impact of COVID-19.
Elaborating further, he said it would also bring in new business models and strategies for both the demand and supply aspects of the tourism industry.
“My ministry will ensure policies and plans for tourism, arts, and culture in the master plan are translated into action plans in stages,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech yesterday (May 25).
Apart from the two main long-term plans, he said the state government would also implement strategic actions in line with the national master plans which were the National Tourism Policy 2020-2030 and National Ecotourism Plan 2016-2025 to transform the state’s tourism industry.
“We will continue to work closely with the federal government in identifying and facilitating tourism business initiatives and grants in these areas through public funding or public-private partnership,” he said.
Explaining how tourism was identified as one of the important sectors under PCDS 2030, Abdul Karim stated his ministry had identified the tourism aspiration.
“By 2030, Sarawak will be a leading destination for eco-tourism and business events in the ASEAN region driven by empowered communities to conserve heritage, culture, and biodiversity as well as to promote investment and development through responsible actions,” he said.
He pointed out that the aspiration would be translated into three major outcomes in terms of economic, social, and environmental.
“Four main tourism strategies have been identified, namely to enhance travel to and within Sarawak; to develop Sarawak tourism products and assets by building upon its cultural, heritage, and natural assets; to position Sarawak as a preferred tourism destination; and to improve capacity as well as capability of human capital,” he said.
