THE Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is optimistic that the tourism sector will bounce back soon with the on-going nationwide vaccination exercise facilitating the rate of recovery.
Once inter-district crossing is allowed, Sarawakians will be able to start travelling to other districts, thus help boost the intra-state tourism sector as a start, according to STB’s CEO Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor.
Based on official figures, Sarawak reported the highest drop in visitor arrivals by 93.95% for the months of January-May 2021 with 56,278 arrivals as compared to 930,956 arrivals in the same period in 2020.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, various efforts have been initiated by STB to mitigate the impact of the movement control orders (MCOs) on local tourism stakeholders such as the Sia Sitok Sarawak Campaign, Sarawak Tourism Online Ecosystem Fund and the Visitors Incentive Package (VIP) incentives (among the funds allocated by STB),” she told FocusM.
The Sarawak Tourism Online Ecosystem Fund is a catalytic programme to expand Sarawak Tourism’s Digital footprint by incentivising industry players to build, improve or enhance their website, curate content, booking engine costs and digital advertising.
The VIP incentive is a measure to support the revival of tourism in Sarawak post COVID-19 by incentivising Sarawak travel agencies to support tourist arrivals at both domestic (inter-state) and international levels.
Meanwhile, the Sia Sitok Sarawak Campaign is positioned as an intra-state initiative with Sia Sitok Sarawak 1.0 launched on Aug 17 last year and re-launched as Sia Sitok Sarawak 2.0 in April this year, in view of its success as a strong homegrown brand.
“We have never stopped promoting Sarawak by emphasising on culture, adventure, nature, festivals and food (CANFF) as well as the principles of responsible tourism,” shared Sharzede.
“We want to create a sense of longing for the state, the desire to visit, and make Sarawak a local ‘top on the list’ when the domestic tourism industry re-opens.”
Responsible tourism
Moving forward, sustainable tourism industry which has been in place since 2011 will be the focal point for the hornbill state.
“Responsible tourism helps ensure Sarawak’s biodiversity remains protected,” Sharzede pointed out.
“Sarawak is well known for its many national parks and its ecotourism initiatives. The state is home to majestic natural ecosystems as well as a diverse selection of flora and fauna. Responsible tourism can help safeguard these natural resources and ensure their protection and survival for many generations to come.”
When it comes to shifting mindset for sustainable tourism development, STB is most proud of its capacity-building workshops. In 2019-2020, STB reached out to local homestays across Sarawak where a total of 3,177 participants from 23 homestays learned sustainable waste management and soap-making skills.
With a majority of the participants of these workshops belonging to the B40 women category between the ages of 16 to 70, such expanded skill sets have given them an opportunity to improve their livelihood.
“On top of running their homestays, women from the community can produce their own soaps and sell them as an additional side income,” suggested Sharzede. “Most importantly, the soap-making workshops provide villagers and rural homeowners with means to create their own hygiene products – a vital addition to combat the pandemic in our daily lives.”
More recently, STB organised a responsible tourism webinar to create awareness among participants – comprising players in the industry – of different elements of responsible tourism what it entails and how it can benefit everyone.
“Through the webinar, we aimed to identify important issues and discuss best practices for sustainable tourism to make Sarawak a better place for travellers to visit and live in,” noted Sharzede.
Additionally, STB has also entered into a memorandum of understanding with another government agency which will enable both organisations to work together on researching latest trends of responsible tourism by focusing mainly on sustainable development goals such as quality education, responsible consumption and production and partnerships for the goals. – July 16, 2021
Photos credit: Sarawak Tourism Board
