Yusfida Khalid, acting CEO, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), explains the strategies and initiatives employed by the board to revitalise tourism in the state and discusses how the board has navigated the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and outlines its plans for the future
What are Sarawak Tourism Board’s activation strategies to keep Sarawak a top-of-mind destination for regional and international travellers?
We have employed a ‘build back better’ approach to ensure tourism will bounce back post-lockdown.
Our main focus is domestic tourism, in which we introduced Sia Sitok Sarawak (which translates to ‘here’ and ‘there’ in local dialect), a home-grown travel and accommodation campaign to boost local tourism during the pandemic. The campaign ran from 2020 to 2022, and has managed to amass a total revenue amount of 11.2 million ringgit (US$2.4 million) to help energise Sarawak tourism stakeholders towards reinvigorating the industry on the right recovery path.
When Malaysia opened her international borders in April last year, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) revisited some pre-pandemic promotional and marketing initiatives through participation in major consumer trade and consumer travel fairs both locally and internationally, such as MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur, ITB Asia 2022 in Singapore, and World Trade Market in London last year.
What initiatives has STB taken to rebuild and improve air accessibility into the state?
Air accessibility has long posed a challenge for the state of Sarawak, impacting its economy and its ability to attract tourists, investors, and businesses from abroad. To address this issue, STB has actively collaborated with airline companies to enhance air connectivity.
These collaborations aim to increase the frequency of existing flights to the state and establish partnerships with local tourism stakeholders. These partnerships result in enticing travel packages that encompass both flights and accommodation, effectively promoting Sarawak’s unique cultural and natural beauty through its primary gateways, namely Kuching, Sibu, and Miri.
The efforts have yielded positive results. Direct flights from Singapore and Indonesia have become available, significantly impacting visitor arrivals from these neighbouring countries.
In 2022, the number of Singapore arriving during the January to July period was only 9,898. However, in the same time frame in 2023, this figure surged to 32,082. Likewise, for Indonesia, visitor arrivals from January to July in 2022 totalled 71,390, while in 2023, this soared to an impressive 306,591.
The Sarawak state government also recently announced plans to launch its boutique airline, expected to start operations by the end of this year or early next year – this will help stabilise airfares between the Peninsula and Borneo, and further attract international visitors to the state.
What initiatives are being implemented to advance sustainability and responsible tourism?
Today’s travellers are increasingly environmentally conscious, prioritising sustainable choices when planning their journeys. This is evident in emerging travel trends, particularly among Gen Z and millennial travellers, who actively seek eco-friendly destinations. This presents unique opportunities for Sarawak to highlight its abundant biodiversity.
Placing a high priority on its sustainability agenda, Sarawak boasts an impressive portfolio of over 60 gazetted Total Protected Areas, including 47 national parks, 15 nature reserves, and five wildlife sanctuaries.
One noteworthy example of STB’s commitment is the iconic Rainforest World Music Festival, which epitomises responsible tourism. Beyond celebrating Sarawak’s musical heritage, the festival serves as a platform to promote responsible practices. These include a long-standing ban on single-use plastic bottles, an emphasis on reusable water bottles, water refill stations onsite, and the use of seed paper for identification tags – paper that contains seeds capable of growing when planted in soil.
Additionally, the festival offers a free shuttle bus service to reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation to and from the festival grounds.
In May 2023, STB and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a joint five-year tree planting programme under the ecoGreenPlanet initiative.
Furthermore, Sarawak’s affiliation with the UNWTO allows STB to actively participate in its ongoing efforts to unite stakeholders in the responsible tourism ecosystem, with a primary focus on sustainability in tourism.
What plans does STB have to promote rural tourism?
Over the years, Sarawak has been actively promoting its Community-Based Tourism (CBT) initiatives by collaborating with licensed and registered longhouses in rural areas that are committed to responsible tourism.
STB encourages the adoption of eco-friendly practices for products and services, as well as promotes the use of locally-sourced food and showcasing indigenous handicrafts and arts to provide visitors with an authentic Sarawakian experience.
Tourists participating in CBT programmes have the opportunity to stay with host families, enabling them to immerse themselves in the daily lifestyles of these communities and engage in various activities and authentic experiences.
What are your projections for the state’s regional and international tourist arrivals in the upcoming year?
Despite the global economic recession and ongoing political tensions, Sarawak’s tourism industry remains resilient and has displayed remarkable recovery in the post-lockdown period.
In 2022, Sarawak welcomed a total of 2.02 million visitors, generating tourism receipts amounting to 4.96 billion ringgit.
From January to August 2023, Sarawak has already received 2.59 million visitors, contributing 6.58 billion ringgit in tourism receipts.
Building on this promising trend, Sarawak is confident of surpassing its initial target of three million visitor arrivals by early 2023 and is poised to reach an impressive 3.89 million visitors by the end of 2023.
With this robust growth anticipated in 2023, Sarawak aspires to return to its pre-pandemic levels of tourism performance by 2024.
How will STB be tackling the European and South-east Asian travel markets?
We aim to leverage the European visitors’ growing interest in sustainability and responsible tourism by showcasing Sarawak’s distinct cultural heritage, adventurous experiences, and natural wonders. Additionally, we are actively participating in prominent marketing events such as WTM London and ITB Berlin to promote Sarawak’s attractions and eco-friendly practices to the European audience.
In the South-east Asian market, we adopt tailored approaches for our three key countries: Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, and Indonesia.
In Singapore, our focus revolves around promoting gastronomy and leisure vacations.
For Brunei, our efforts are directed towards visitation for friends and family, while Indonesia sees a special emphasis on health tourism initiatives.
These market-specific strategies enable us to effectively cater to the diverse preferences and interests of travellers from these countries.
Visit Malaysia Year 2026 is coming. How will STB align with this campaign?
The STB will assume a pivotal role in positioning Sarawak as a leading eco-tourism destination in synergy with Visit Malaysia Year. Through strategic collaborations with local tourism stakeholders, STB aims to develop specialised tour packages that focus on Sarawak’s unique cultural experiences, eco-tours, adventure activities, and wildlife encounters.
The development of a successful tourism marketing strategy necessitates striking a balance between traditional and digital media channels, particularly with an eye on expanding into international markets. Leveraging the strengths of both approaches allows for reaching a broader audience, creating a lasting impression, and fostering engagement with potential visitors.
Furthermore, in the ongoing efforts to enhance Sarawak’s brand presence, it becomes imperative to harness emerging online platforms to extend the reach and reinforce Sarawak’s identity as the preferred eco-tourism destination. This strategic approach aligns seamlessly with the objectives of Visit Malaysia Year in 2026, making the most of digital avenues to elevate Sarawak’s appeal and visibility on a global scale.
