Abdul Karim: S’wak records 1.1 mln visitor arrivals from Jan to March

May 07, 2019

Abdul Karim holding his winding up speech for the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports. Also seen is Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin.

VISITOR arrivals to Sarawak showed an increase of 3.93 per cent for the first quarter of the year when compared to the same corresponding period in 2018.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state recorded a total of 1,117,843 arrival of visitors from January to March of which the main source of visitors came from Brunei Darussalam.

“The top five sources of visitors for Sarawak are Brunei Darussalam (304,823), Indonesia (94,303), the Philippines (14,419), China (9,983) and Singapore (9,024),” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting today.

New ordinance to give Museum Dept more ‘bite’ — Abdul Karim

November 27, 2018

Abdul Karim (second right) views the Zul Faqar Sword replica on display at the exhibition accompanied by Ipoi (right) and Misnu (left).

KUCHING: A new ordinance to empower the Sarawak Museum Department (JMS) will be introduced next year.

This was revealed by Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who said the ordinance to improve activities of JMS will be tabled at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting next year.

He explained that the proposed ordinance will enable JMS to collaborate with private sectors including relevant field experts to increase the attraction and number of visitors to museums in the state.

State govt aggressively promoting Visit Sarawak

Nov 13, 2018

Visit Sarawak Campaign

THE state is targeting five million tourist arrivals next year with the launch of the Visit Sarawak campaign.

From January to September this year, Sarawak recorded 3.2 million visitor arrivals, a decrease of 13.3% from the same period last year.

“Based on the trend in the past few months, my ministry is expecting 4.5 million visitor arrivals and RM8.05bil in tourism receipts (this year),” said state Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

S’wak receives more Chinese tourists

November 13, 2018

Abdul Karim (second left) shows his winding-up speech to Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin (left), while Assistant Minister of Agriculture Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail (second right) and Assistant Minister of Women, Family and Childhood Development Rosey Yunus look on.

SARAWAK recorded a total of 34,102 tourist arrivals from China between January to September this year.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this encouraging figure marked an increase of 15.78 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2017.

“This is attributed to the Kuching-Shenzhen direct flight and marketing campaigns for China market,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting yesterday.

Achieving goals through Integrated Athletes Management System — Minister

November 13, 2018

THE ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports will implement the Integrated Athletes Management System that utilises digital technology and high-performance science in order to achieve its goals and objectives.

Its minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this would further enhance the training as well as preparedness of the state’s athletes.

“We are also looking forward to the Malaysia Games (Sukma) 2020 in Johor. The Sarawak Sports Corporation and the State Sports Council will be undertaking a number of initiatives that will further enhance the training and preparation of our athletes,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the DUN sitting yesterday.

Visit Sarawak campaign to be officially launched alongside New Year countdown

November 13, 2018

THE ‘Visit Sarawak’ campaign will be officially launched this Dec 31, in conjunction with the New Year countdown at Kuching Waterfront.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the campaign, set to run next year, had its series of soft launches in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and London – serving as a ‘teaser’ for the trade and tourism industry players.

“The next launch will be in Shenzhen, China in December.

Abdul Karim to Putrajaya: Where’s our share of the tourism tax, please?

November 12, 2018

KUCHING, Nov 12: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has been urged to disbursed the tourism tax amounting to RM439,731 to Sarawak.

In making the call, state Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the amount represented Sarawak’s share of tourism tax collected between Sept to Dec last year.

“In the last State Assembly sitting in July this year, I reported that the federal government has informed my office about the disbursement of Sarawak’s share of tourism tax collected.

Abdul Karim: S’wak govt yet to receive state’s share of tourism tax from federal govt

November 12, 2018

KUCHING: The Sarawak government has yet to receive the state’s share of tourism tax collected since September 2017 from the federal government.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said though the federal government had informed his ministry on the disbursement of Sarawak’s share of tourism tax collected between September 2017 to December 2017 earlier this year, the amount collected has yet to be channeled to the state government.

“We wish to applaud the continuation of the tourism tax in the National Budget 2019 which maintains that 50 per cent of the total tourism tax collected by the federal government be given to the state government.

All-round support for GPS motion

November 7, 2018

Abdul Karim (right) listens as his ministry’s permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee makes a point in the lobby of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex yesterday.

Assemblypersons from all political divides agree on move to form Consultative Committee on MA63

KUCHING: Sarawak achieved another milestone yesterday at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) after all the assemblypersons from both government and the opposition sides unanimously voted in favour of establishing a Consultative Committee to determine and agree upon the representations for submission to the Sarawak representatives of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Steering Committee.

The setting up of the Consultative Committee to comprise members from all political parties represented in the august house was moved by Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (PBB-Asajaya) in his ministerial motion under Standing Order 23(1)(a) read together with Standing Order 89 and Article 24(1) of the State Constitution.

The Consultative Committee was proposed as a response to the formation of MA63 Steering Committee on Sept 5 chaired by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which was described as being lopsided because it had only three representations from Sarawak.

Higher visitor arrivals in 2017, over RM8 billion earned — Minister

July 17, 2018

KUCHING: A total of 4.85 million visitors came to Sarawak last year – an increase of 4.2 per cent compared to 2016 – bringing in an estimated tourist receipt of RM8.59 billion.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah in his ministry’s winding-up speech yesterday revealed that the top five tourist arrivals were from Brunei Darussalam (1.73 million), Indonesia (513,442), the Philippines (68,380), Singapore (42,177) and China (38,204).

“For January to May this year, the visitor arrival figure was 1,750,640. The figures also indicate a positive increase in tourist arrivals from China and Singapore,” he said.

Minister: Comprehensive programmes a must for Sarawak’s youth development

July 17, 2018

KUCHING: Preparing Sarawak youths with the necessary disciplines, skills and knowledge in facing future challenges is not an easy task, says Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Based on records from the Statistics Department for this year to date, the youths make up 42 per cent of Sarawak’s 2.8-million population.

“Youths are considered as a great asset to the state – if they are harnessed and utilised in the right direction,” said Abdul Karim in his ministry’s winding-up speech at the DUN sitting yesterday.

‘Maintenance of public amenities done according to procedures’

July 17, 2018

Abdul Karim (seated, second left) speaks at the news conference. Seen seated from left are Snowdan, Lee and Hii.

THE Sarawak government adheres to standard procedures when it comes to deciding how to carry out maintenance works on public amenities across the state.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said when a public amenity is reported to be faulty, the authorities concerned would seek professional advice before taking action.

In the case of the malfunctioning air conditioner at the Petroleum Museum in Miri, he said the problem was first referred to the Public Works Department (JKR), which advised the ministry to have it repaired.

Minister: Sarawak Museum Campus slated for completion mid-2020

July 17, 2018

THE new Sarawak Museum Campus is expected to become the second largest museum in South East Asia, after the National Museum in Singapore, once it reaches completion in mid-2020.

According to Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the five-storey building is set to be another iconic landmark of the city.

“It (museum) will provide about 6,500 square meters of exhibition space to showcase Borneo’s rich history spanning more than 42,000 years,” he said in his ministry’s winding-up speech at the DUN yesterday.

More tourists from China and Singapore visit Sarawak

Jul 17, 2018

KUCHING: Sarawak has seen an increase in tourist arrivals from China and Singapore in the first five months of this year.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said 19,641 China tourists came to the state from January to May, an increase of 20.2% compared to the same period last year.

“This is attributed to the Kuching-Shenzhen direct flight which commenced in December 2017,” he told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in his winding-up speech yesterday.

PBB veep confident on MRP funds for opposition reps

July 1, 2018

KUCHING: A Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president is confident that Sarawak government will consider allocating minor rural project (MRP) funds for opposition assemblymen to distribute to their respective constituents.

Talks on this issue are rife considering that the state legislative assembly (DUN) sitting is just around the corner (July 9 to 19).

“I am sure the Chief Minister (CM) will give consideration after seeing development in other states where Opposition Adun (state elected representatives) and MPs are given MRP fund. Let the CM make the announcement,” said Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah when contacted on this matter.

Abdul Karim: Visitor arrivals expected to hit 5-million mark, generate RM8.98b

November 16, 2017

Abdul Karim holds up his winding-up speech during a photo call with Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin.

THE STATE has received a total of 3.72 million visitor arrivals from January to September this year, an increase of 9.81 per cent compared to the same period in 2016 which saw 3.3 million arrivals.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, in his winding up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday, said the state’s tourism industry has so far generated an estimated receipt of RM6.9 billion.

“Based on past trends of average arrivals for the month of October to December, my ministry is anticipating five million visitor arrivals into Sarawak in 2017, an increase of 7.3 per cent as compared with 4.66 million in 2016,” he said.

Sarawak Museum Campus catalyst for tourism growth — Abd Karim

November 16, 2017

THE ongoing Sarawak Museum Campus Project, targeted to be completed by end of 2019, will contribute greatly to the state’s tourism development.

The project, said Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, has made significant progress and is 35 per cent complete.

“It will become the pride of the people of Sarawak and reposition Sarawak Museum Department as the manifestation of Sarawak’s culture, heritage and tourism,” he said.

STB to digitise all promo materials — Minister

May 19, 2017

SARAWAK Tourism Board (STB) will digitalise all promotional materials to increase its presence in ‘call for action’ booking portals to leapfrog its performance.

This is in line with the state government’s call for the use of digitalisation, said Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“STB will still provide a face-to-face interaction marketing as human interaction in tourism business is inevitable and remains relevant although digital marketing is widely used,” he said in his winding-up speech yesterday.

He said his ministry had set up a consultative platform known as Sarawak Tourism Forum to engage and get feedback from tourism players.

Some requests from industry players made through the forum had been implemented while a few others were still at discussion level, he added.

‘RM60 million for 13 KRA tourism projects this year’

May 19, 2017

Abdul Karim shows his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex. Abdul Karim delivered his first ministerial winding-up speech yesterday.

KUCHING: The state government has approved RM60 million for the implementation of 13 Key Result Areas (KRAs) tourism projects this year.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah announced this in his winding-up speech yesterday, which led to Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Kota Sentosa) questioning whether the allocation was sufficient.

The DAP leader also queried why Mulu National Park, a Unesco-listed site had been excluded from the 13 KRA projects.

“I hear no promotions on Mulu Caves, which is a world heritage site that has been underutilised. The total amount of RM60 million for the 13 projects which will be carried out, do you think it is highly sufficient?” asked Chong, seeking a point of clarification.

Abdul Karim responded: “Definitely, Mulu is a world-renowned heritage and tourist destination which is something we should be proud of.”

No go for waiver of 470 parking summonses during Malaysia Open – Abdul Karim

May 18, 2017

Abdul Karim is seen delivering his winding up speech.

KUCHING: A total waiver of the 470 summonses issued during the Malaysia Open 2017 held early last month “is not possible”.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said it was unfortunate that some supporters of the international event were issued the summonses for obstruction of traffic but he believed there were means to resolve this matter.

“A total waiver is not possible because we had given warning (before Malaysian Open 2017).

“We may give them some discounts (for the summonses), but not total waiver,” he said when responding to Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Kota Sentosa) who requested Karim to help with the waiver in the august House today.

Chong said he had written to the Commissioner of Police (CP) for Sarawak, but he had yet to hear from the police.