Thursday, October 21, 2010

Sarawak unveils Integrated Package to attract Singaporeans

A tourism package — Sarawak Integrated Package (SIP) aimed to attract more Singaporeans to Sarawak was launched here on Tuesday night.

The SIP consists of 38 different packages ranging from daily tour to six-day-five-night package to cater to the needs of different groups of tourists.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Sarawak could expect the first arrival of Singapore tourists under the SIP during the Christmas holiday.

“Yes, the package will work. It is very surprising that not many Singaporeans have gone to Sarawak. If we sell it properly, we could get quite a big number of Singapore tourists within a year or two,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after the launching ceremony, Dr Chan explained that the advantage of SIP was its flexibility in meeting the demand of different tourists.

The Tourism and Heritage Minister said the packages would be reviewed from time to time to better suit the needs of tourists.

Apart from Singapore, other potential markets for the SIP are Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China, in particular Shen Zhen, said Dr Chan.

Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, the permanent secretary to Tourism and Heritage Ministry, added that SIP would be modified according to customers’ and travel agents’ feedback.

“The feedback from travel agents from both Singapore and Sarawak is crucial to us because they are the ones who sell the packages.

“We will try to bring in some Singapore travel agents to Sarawak in the inaugural flight from Singapore to Miri via Kuching on Oct 31 to let them know their products so that they could negotiate with their counterparts in Sarawak before selling to potential customers,” he explained.

He pointed out that the feedback would be forwarded to the relevant authorities for further improvement.

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Datuk Rashid Khan told a press conference earlier that it was timely for the board to look at Singapore.

“It is one of the major shifts in terms of market programme to look at our neighbouring countries and see how we can tap from them.

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