October 16, 2018
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| Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah wants Middle Eastern tourists to explore beyond Kuala Lumpur. |
KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak is seeking to tap the Middle Eastern market as Visit Sarawak begins in earnest in January next year.
Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this will be the state’s target group as it aims to meet the target of five million tourists set for next year.
Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“At present, everyone is targeting China. But we will not confine our target to just the Chinese market. It has to be wider.
“We are also looking at the Middle East. I have been asking myself why we have not been promoting to the Middle East.
“We are looking into that,” he told reporters after unveiling the Visit Sarawak logo at a hotel in downtown KL today.
Also present were his assistant minister Lee Kim Shin; Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry secretary-general Rashidi Hasbullah; Tourism Malaysia director-general Mirza Mohammad Taiyab and Sarawak Tourism Board CEO Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor.
Karim said many Middle Eastern tourists made their way to Malaysia annually and he wants to bring them over to Sarawak.
“In KL, you see many of them here. Middle Eastern tourists know Malaysia very well. But they do not know Sarawak. It is such a waste not to tap into that market,” he said.
Aside from the Middle East, Karim said they were also looking at the European market.
“We have products such as the Mulu Caves. Many of those who love nature and eco-tourism are Europeans. We will also be marketing to them,” he said.
Karim said they would be promoting Sarawak aggressively by going to Singapore and London.
The Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president said last year, Sarawak managed to draw 4.85 million tourists, of which 2.6 million were international arrivals.
Asean countries were also a key source of visitors last year, accounting for 48.98% or 2.38 million arrivals.
“This year, we’ve set a high target of 5.2 million. Up until last month, we had already received more than three million visitors from Asean.
“By year-end, we will have many more tourists because that is the time for the school holidays. I hope we can achieve the target we have set,” he said.
There has been a 16% increase in the number of tourists from Singapore and China compared with last year, he said, noting that these tourists tended to stay much longer and not just for a weekend shopping trip.
Last year, Sarawak recorded total spending of RM8.59 billion from tourism, which accounted for 7.9% of its gross domestic product.
The logo, which was unveiled by Karim, is multicoloured, spelling out “Sarawak” with the tagline “More to Discover”.
Augmenting the logo is the hornbill, representing Sarawak’s moniker “Bumi Kenyalang”, or “Land of the Hornbills”.
The event also saw a performance by Sarawakian songstress Dayang Nurfaizah and Tuku Kame, an award-winning world music band that has conducted global tours.
Guests at the event were also treated to a sumptuous spread of Sarawakian cuisine such as “umai”, “ayam pansoh” and the famous Sarawak laksa. -FMT
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