More needs to be done for Sarawak tourism

STF lists poor public transportation, lack of direct flights among tourists’ grouses in Sarawak

KUCHING: Poor public transportation services, especially taxi service, are among the main grouses of foreign tourists arriving in Sarawak for a holiday.

Wee Hong Seng, president of the Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF), a body representing private sector key players in the state’s tourism industry, said based on initial feedback to its ‘We Care’ questionnaires, the respondents noted the need to use metered taxis, a clear fare for each destination, and to upgrade taxi drivers’ knowledge on the state’s tourism products.

“Foreign tourists want at least when boarding the taxis here, the drivers inform them about the tourist spots here and not the silent treatment,” he said here yesterday.

Wee said there was also the need to improve knowledge on tourism products among the tourist guides in Sarawak, so that the visitors would have a better understanding of what the state could offer.

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Potpourri of events at Borneo Cultural Festival impresses the crowds

THE recent Borneo Cultural Festival at the Town Square in Sibu was a cultural potpourri and an eye-opener for first-time visitors.

The nine-day, Sarawak-tourism-calendar event hosted on an elaborate scale by the Sibu Municipal Council impressed many locals.

Besides showcasing Sarawak’s rich cultural heritage, the festival offered lots of entertainment and fun through traditional games, a Dayak beauty queen and warrior pageant, karaoke and singing contests, talent and fashion shows.

The staging of a traditional Malay wedding and a Chinese opera were rare.

Food lovers were pampered with a choice of specialities and delicacies from the Chinese community.

The trade show featuring dozens of booths was a crowd puller.

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Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - A study in harmony

The Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 proved once again that if you were looking for good music, this is where you would find it. The learning experience was a bonus.

Grappling with the term “world music” and what it actually means, I headed off to Santubong, Sarawak last weekend for the 11th edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF2008) in search of an answer. The festival was to be an eye opener of sorts for me. Expecting what I’ve come to understand as one of Sarawak’s finest attractions – great music, days of fun in the sun, scenic views of the lush rainforest and delectable tuak – I was instead treated to something quite different.

Unfortunately, the RWMF2008 has not retained much of its low-key charm – some years ago, no one even knew where Santubong was – now it is a hub of activity. The Sarawak Cultural Village, which hosts the annual festival, was filled to the brim this year with over 22,500 people turning up over the three-day fiesta. And I don’t use the word “fiesta” lightly: think of corporate sponsor banners splashed indiscriminately, think of a funfair of foodstalls, (faux) tattoo booths, massage tents and hey, you could even get a caricature of yourself drawn for RM30!

In many ways, the lack of state sponsorship (if you hadn’t read about it yet, this year the RWMF2008, which is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, had its usual stipend of RM500,000 slashed to RM70,000) has bred a slew of unsightly props to an otherwise rather charming festival.

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Temple Festival listed on Sarawak tourism calendar

SIBU: Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the unique Tua Pek Kong Festival that is found only in Sarawak has been included in the state’s tourism calendar starting next year.

The festival, the largest in South East Asia, has been fixed by the temple committees in Sarawak on the 29th day of the third month in the lunar calendar to coincide with the deity’s birthday, beginning this year.

The celebration this year fell on May 4.

With the joint decision, the 58 temples throughout the state will burst into celebrative colours annually on that day.

Wong, who is also Second Minister of Finance said in an interview on Wednesday that the festival was the second event listed on the tourism calendar for Sibu after the Borneo Cultural Festival. He said this was an effort of his ministry to attract tourists who were very much attracted by the unique cultures of Borneo.

He said in the first four months of this year, there had been an increase (29 per cent) in tourist arrival to the state compared to the same period last year.

“There has been a marked increase in the number of tourists from West Malaysia, and we shall commit ourselves to attract even more tourists to witness all the events lined up for them.”

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The best Friday in 11 years of Rainforest World Music Festival

KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) has once again lived up to its promise of bringing a fantastic line of artistes to perform here.

Although the finale was a wet and muddy affair, it did not dampen the mood of the revelers. The rain, which came on the first and final night of the festival, gave foreigners an added feel to the rainforest with some of them shouting ‘Welcome to Malaysia’ as they danced to the authentic beat on the muddy pitch at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Co-chairperson of the festival, Gracie Geikie, when asked about the first night at a press conference on Sunday, summed the whole experience as ‘the best Friday in 11 years of RWMF’.

“People were just enjoying and dancing in the rain. It became a mud festival instead,” she said laughing.

Indeed, Sarawak Tourism Board has every reason to smile given the overwhelming response the festival has created.

The first night saw 7,219 visitors. The festival then reached a new peak on the second night with 9,063 visitors, exceeding the 8,000-visitor capacity. There was no loss in momentum on the final night for 6,291 came.

Continue reading at: The best Friday in 11 years of Rainforest World Music Festival

Sarawak Tourism board to finalise campaign with Brunei airline soon

KUCHING: Sarawak expects to finalise a tourism promotion campaign in several international cities with Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) soon.

Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Gracie Geikie said it would meet RBA officials on July 17 to finalise details of the campaign in cities, including London, Perth, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

“RBA will support the campaign by offering special fares (from these cities to Sarawak),” she said.

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Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival venue bursting at its seams

KUCHING: It was great music as thousands danced to the drumbeats at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong near here.

Partying all night long, music fans had a great time as the seven foreign and local musical groups thrilled them during the five-hour concert on Saturday.

However, the same could not be said for several hundred other disappointed music fans who had to be turned away as the venue could not accommodate them.

Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Gracie Geikie said the organisers had to close the main entrance to the concert at about 9.45pm as the crowd was getting too big.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival venue bursting at its seams

Tickets to Sarawak Rainforest music festival snapped up

KUCHING: More than 18,000 tickets to the three nightly concerts of the 11th Rainforest World Music Festival, which kicks off Friday at the Sarawak Cultural Village near here, have been snapped up as of Wednesday.

Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Gracie Geikie said the rush for tickets began several days ago.

She said the three preview shows in the city had generated great interest and boosted ticket sales among local music lovers.

Geikie said the organisers had limited the crowd for the three-day performance to 24,000 to ensure safety and comfort of the music lovers. Last year's festival attracted some 22,000 music lovers, nearly 60% of whom were non-Sarawakians.

This year's tickets are priced at RM90 (adult) and RM45 (those aged three to 12) for a one-night concert.

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Sarawak central region’s homestay major tourist draw

SIBU: The homestay programme has been identified as a major tourist attraction to generate income for local communities, said Rudy Anoi, an executive of the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Sibu office yesterday.

According to him, the homestay programme has been growing in popularity among foreign tourists keen to experience the local culture.

They want to experience for themselves the way of life of the local community instead of hearing from others.

He said foreigners are fascinated by local culture and tradition, hence while staying in the longhouses tourists can go about doing what the locals do – like fishing and farming.

Under the homestay programme, tourists would stay together with locals and their families in the longhouses where they would be able to experience their way of life and culture.

The locals on the other hand, would be paid from the package while at the same time be able to sell their handicrafts to the visitors.

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Tourism key to Sarawak’s economic growth

SIBU: Festivals are tourism products and tourism is one of the economic engines of Sarawak.

Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud pointed out that Miri had the Jazz Festival, Bintulu the International Kite Festival, Mukah the Kaul Festival, Kuching the World Rainforest Music Festival and Sibu the Borneo Cultural Festival.

“With many festivals being held in different towns in Sarawak throughout the year, we hope to attract more visitors from all over the country and of course, from overseas, so that they will also share with us the beauty of our State and its people.

“Consequently, they will spend time knowing and appreciating what we have to offer while at the same time, helping to turn the wheel of economy for the respective towns and cities,” said Taib, whose speech was read by Urban Development and Tourism Minister, Dato’ Sri Wong Soon Koh, at the closing ceremony of the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) on Saturday night.

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Fresh outlook on Kuching's new tourist attractions

Developing skyline: Panoramic view of Kuching City from the Civic Centre Tower.

Kuching is just over an hour's flight away from Bandar Seri Begawan.

FELINE GREETINGS: The mascot of Kuching City, a growing tourist attraction.

Photos courtesy of and Copyright to Achong Tanjong and Brunei Press Sdn Bhd

By Achong Tanjong

I had a closer look at Sarawak recently, a city I had often frequented either by air or car. On this particular occasion, I was sent on a 'Mega Familiarisation' trip in conjunction with Malaysia's Gawai Dayak Open House in Kuching.

My boss gave me time to decide if I wanted to go; otherwise another reporter would be assigned for the event.

Though the sights of Kuching were not strange to me, after studying the six-day itinerary programme I discovered that there were places that I had never been to before.

Among them were Serikin in Bau and the Irrawaddy Dolphin Watch in Santubong. For some locals they were new tourism products that Kuching had to offer.

I found myself at Brunei International Airport on Friday evening as part of a seven-member delegation that was jointly organised by Tourism Malaysia and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB). Two of us were from the media, four were travel agents, and our leader was Tourism Malaysia (Brunei) Marketing Officer, Efarina Abang Haji Osman.

The flight to Kuching took just over an one hour and upon arriving at the Kuching International Airport we were driven to Hilton Kuching where we would stay until Wednesday, hosted by Tourism Malaysia while Sarawak Tourism Board hosted our tour. The hotel is a strategically located, which I soon discovered with a fellow reporter after we checked in.

Within walking distance of the hotel there are a variety of food, entertainment and shopping outlets. We headed towards the Kuching Waterfront, which is a popular hangout among local youths. Hungry, we were on the lookout for food but most of the food stalls were already closed since it was nearly midnight - the only open one was the Maggie Mee stall. So, without any other choice, we went for it and had our fill.

The next morning, before going down for breakfast, I decided to check out the view from my room on the sixth floor. During the night, all I saw were lights decorating nearby buildings and vehicles moving along the roads.

I drew the curtains back and behold, there was the Sarawak River and water taxis ferrying passengers from Kuching's main bazaar across to the nearby Malay villages. I also had a panoramic view of the mountain and Fort Margherita. I took out my camera for a snap shoot. I was impressed to see the river, sparkling in the morning sun and so clean with no discernible floating waste despite being well used for many activities.

After attending the Gawai Open House on Saturday night, our next journey was a long trip to Serikin in the Bau, home to the Bidayuh community. It was fine Sunday morning and the journey was smooth. This was our first time to Serikin.

We had an experienced tour guide, Koronikal Sua, who had also worked in Brunei as a tour guide for one of the local travel agents in the 90's.

According to him, Serikin is a Bidayuh village and it was actually not a town. It was previously not so popular because most of the visitors from Peninsular Malaysia had prefered to go to another border town in Serian, called Entikong , which had a proper exit and checkpoint from Kuching to the borders of Kalimantan and Pontianak.

There is no proper checkpoint in Serikin - only 'Jalan Tikus' (Mouse Road) and to protect the area from illegal immigrants there are Army and Police stations just right at the border, our guide said.

Koronikal who used to bring a lot of visitors from West Malaysia said that there is no proper documentation. We don't need passports and we don't need any papers whatsoever to enter, which is very risky because if anything happened across the border nobody would know about it because there were no records of crossing.

In Serikin, the border is about a 15-minute ride by motorcycle. So in Serikin the Sarawak government invited them to come in rather then visitors from Sarawak going to the other side. It is much suitable to bring them into Sarawak and we do the shopping here rather than on the other side, as it is safer and more secure.

The Sarawak government collects RM10 per day for rental fees, but the landlord at the village charged them RM30 for two days.

Many of the Bidayuh people also venture into business in Serikin, which is only open on weekends. This made Serikin popular for shopping sprees of Indonesian products. Koronikal explained that in the beginning prices in Serikin were very good but business has changed due to the currency rates but there are still a lot of things worth buying there.

The traders' booths stretched out for about one kilometre selling a wide range of products from rattan mats, ladies bags, clothing and sandals, fruits, handicrafts and much more value-for-money bargains to be found.

On the way, we saw the Bidayuh village, beautiful mountains and passed Tasik Biru, or Blue Lake, where gold is still mined today.

It is quite easy to find halal food in Kuching as there are many Malay restaurants serving excellent food and beverages. Returning from Serikin we stopped at Satok Market, which is famous for its salted fish, the 'Ikan Terubuk Masin'.

Perhaps this is arguably the best place to meet with the locals as indigenous people travel here to sell all sorts of jungle fruits and vegetables to city folk. At night the market transforms into a massive food centre.

Our final stop was to a pottery factory where we had the opportunity to see how people mould and produce creative designs from clay into flowerpots, which are then sold to visitors and the public.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend

Steady rise in tourist arrivals to Sibu

SIBU: The number of tourists coming here has increased quite steadily, indicating that this town and its hinterland have a bright future in tourism.

Last year, for example, the number of inbound tourists increased by 22 per cent compared to the number in 2006.

Statistics obtained from the local Visitors Information Centre (VIC) showed that 2,865 domestic and foreign tourists visited Sibu last year, up 516 from 2,349 in 2006.

On the number of foreign tourists only, an increase of 10 per cent was noted.

However, according to the local Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) executive, Rudy Anoi, the number could have been slightly higher as some foreign tourists went directly to their destinations without stopping at the VIC.

“These tourists were not reflected or accounted for in the VIC’s record book,” Anoi explained when met at his office in Jalan Tukang Besi yesterday.

Asked about the factors that contributed to the increase in tourist arrivals here, Anoi said it could be due to the promotional activities of the board.

Continue reading at: Steady rise in tourist arrivals to Sibu

KL to get preview of Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival

KUCHING: Preview shows will be held in Kuala Lumpur and here to give music lovers a taste of the annual Rainforest World Music Festival, which kicks off at the Sarawak Cultural Village near here on July 11.

Sheldon Blackman and The Love Circle from Trinidad and Tobago and local band Akasha will perform in the first preview show at Borneo Rainforest Cafe in the federal capital on Saturday.

Organiser Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Gracie Geikie said the Sheldon Blackman band would join three other groups - Pinikpikan (Philippines) and two local groups - Kani'd and Tuku Kame - for the three preview shows, begining 7pm, in the city.

She said children with special needs would be entertained at the amphitheatre adjacent to the Sarawak Club on July 8.

Two similar shows will take place the next day at the newly-opened shopping malls - The Spring and Boulevard.

State Assistant Minister for Tourism Hamden Ahmad said the nightly concert would showcase 17 international and local groups picked from some 450 musical groups which had offered to perform in the world renowned Rainforest Music Festival.

Geikie said last year's festival attracted some 22,000 music lovers, 59.4% of whom were foreigners, in addition to Malaysians from the peninsula as well as Sabahans.

Continue reading at: KL to get preview of Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival

Exciting performances at Borneo Cultural Festival 2008 event

SIBU: Colourful and unique cultural presentations will be held at the main stage of the ‘7th Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) 2008’ in Sibu Town Square from July 3 to 5.

Deputy Chairman of Sibu Municipal Council, Daniel Ngieng said yesterday that after the cultural programmes at the three cultural pavilions, namely, the Malay Melanau Cultural Pavilion, Chinese Cultural Pavillion and Dayak Cultural Pavillion, ended on July 2 night, the main stage programme would kick off today with a live band performance commencing at 6.45 pm.

“It will be followed with performances by the local singers and the presentations by Kelab Muzik dan Tari Nusantara Sibu, Sri Swangsa Sibu, Ling’s Drum Team Sibu, SMK Sungei Merah Sibu, Hornland Dance Theatre Sibu, singing solo by Su Xiang Qing, Tuku Kame Kuching, Botswana Africa and finally the cultural troupe from Sindang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia,” he added.

He was speaking to journalists after welcoming some 40 members of a cultural troupe from Sindang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia who dropped by at the Sibu Municipal Council for a courtesy call, yesterday.

He said, the cultural troupe from Sindang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia, headed by a Member of Parliament from Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia, Mr Tobias Ranggie was here upon the invitation by the Ministry for Urban Development and Tourism Sarawak to present their unique cultural shows at the ‘7th Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) 2008’.

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Central region of Sarawak for eco-tourism

SIBU: The central region of Sarawak has the potential to effectively position the state as a preferred eco-tourism destination.

An executive of Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Sibu Office, Rudy Anoi believed this was possible because the central region, which comprises Sibu, Sarikei, Mukah and Kapit, had a lot to offer in term of eco-tourism products.

However, to realise such potential, he suggested that prospective places of interest in the central region had to be identified as a starting point.

When interviewed at his office yesterday, Anoi said: “The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia is now emphasising on the development of eco-tourism products. With 18 national parks and wildlife sanctuary all over the state, elevated further by its wide geographical area, Sarawak has plenty to offer, especially eco-tourism products.

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Sarawak, Kalimantan joint effort to boost tourism

KUCHING: The Sarawak Kalimantan Barat Tourism Council (SKTC) will be launched this year with the aim of enhancing the tourism sector between the Malaysian state and the neighbouring Indonesian province.

The council was mooted during the Third BIMP-EAGA Travel Exchange, which was opened by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud here in September last year.

SKTC will have 14 members, half from Sarawak and the other half from West Kalimantan.

The Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) will be a joint-chairman of the council.

Among the members from Sarawak are the Urban Development and Tourism Ministry, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Sarawak Branch.

STF president Wee Hong Seng told thesundaypost yesterday that the establishment of the council would strengthen bilateral ties and the time was ripe for that due to the introduction of direct flights from here to Jakarta and Bali.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Sarawak, Kalimantan joint effort to boost tourism

SCORE’s tourism potential to be exploited

THE TOURISM Ministry will capitalise on tourism potential in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), said Urban Development and Tourism Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh in his winding-up speech yesterday.

He explained that SCORE between Tanjong Manis and Similajau and the interior of the central region offers a wide range of tourism products.

He said the extensive physical infrastructure that comes with the development of SCORE provided a good platform for creation of tourism businesses like hotels, resorts and river cruises.

He added that a detailed study would be carried out to uncover the full tourism potential of the corridor.

“In keeping up with the pace of the Internet, my ministry is embarking on a project to develop a comprehensive e-tourism portal to address the needs of the tourism industry,” said Wong.

The portal will include a database of information on the whole range of tourism products and players; interface system to enable global access and reach; and an e-commerce engine that enables online transactions.

On the same note, he said that the Sarawak Tourism Board would also be revamped to make it user friendly and interactive.

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Sarawak Tourism Federation getting tourist feedback via ‘We Care’ questionnaire

KUCHING: Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) has created a new avenue for tourists to give their feedback about their holiday in Sarawak - be it good or bad - through its ‘We Care’ questionnaire.What’s more, the feedback will be channeled to the tourism authorities in the state, and tourists can expect action to be taken to improve on the shortcomings that they have encountered.

Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said at the launching of the questionnaire and STF’s online feedback system – Voicepoint - on Friday, that the federation had taken a bold step towards the betterment of the industry.

“This (questionnaire) is another way of finding out how people look at us. For me, the letters in the word, ‘care’, stands for ‘caring, approachable, very responsible, effective’,” he said.

He said that even now, the ministry had received feedback from tourists either in the form of letters or emails but they were not systematic.

With the questionnaire, he said STF would be able to conduct an analysis and forward recommendations to the ministry.

He reminded the tourism industry players that all of them, from the airline companies to the operators of food stalls, played a vital role in upholding the image of the state.

“The tourism industry is a highly competitive one and the word of mouth can spread like wildfire. One single unhappy tourist can affect our image even over simple things like dirty bed sheet in a hotel.

Continue reading at: Sarawak Tourism Federation getting tourist feedback via ‘We Care’ questionnaire

More airlines coming to Sarawak

THE Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism is working closely with various tourism stakeholders including federal government agencies to bring in more foreign airlines, including Tiger Airways, to Sarawak.

Assistant Minister of Tourism Hamden Ahmad said the success of the effort would depend on various factors such as market and tourist profile, product viability and destination competitiveness.

“Other perspectives from a broad spectrum of enterprises of both domestic and international tourism are also taken into consideration before any foreign airline can be invited to fly into Sarawak,” he said.

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Big plans to promote tourism in Sarawak's central region

SIBU: The Tourism Ministry and Sarawak Tourism Board have big plans in promoting tourism in the central region.

“You may not realise it but we have placed thousands of brochure on Sibu and the central region of Sarawak at 43 STB offices globally, in addition to the billboards,” said Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh yesterday.

Wong yesterday unveiled a giant billboard at the incoming-passenger entrance at Sibu Airport. The billboard depicts three important tourism events - Balleh-Kapit Raft Safari, Mukah Kaul Festival and Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) 2008.

Also present to witness the ceremony were acting Sibu Resident Ismail Mohd Hanis and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Gracie Geike. The giant billboard is put up by STB.

Wong said similar billboards had been placed strategically by STB at three other major airports in Sarawak - Kuching International Airport, Miri International Airport and Bintulu Airport, to promote the three annual events to the locals as well as domestic tourists.

“And also we have commissioned an international Mandarin-language publication, Leisure Travel Magazine (based in KL with international distribution), for 10 to 15 pages of features of Sibu and the central region, covering festivals, places of interest and lifestyles, which is expected to hit newsstand in May,” said Wong.

Balleh-Kapit Raft Safari will be on April 19 - 20, Mukah Kaul Festival from April 25 - 27 and BCF 2008 from June 27 - July 5.

Continue reading at: Big plans to promote tourism in Sarawak's central region