THE Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) has kicked off its annual series of business-to-business (B2B) networking sessions by engaging with 300 domestic travel agencies and tour operators across five states in West Malaysia – Penang, Kedah, Perak, Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
Themed Sarawak A Journey Awaits Business Networking Sessions 2022, these sessions aim to provide a platform to keep Sarawak top of mind for stakeholders while promoting the rich land of Sarawak against the fascinating backdrop of history and mystery, culture, festivals, food and its unique tourism products to domestic travel agencies and tour operators.
The sessions commenced in Penang at DoubleTree Resort by Hilton (Feb 21) before moving to Grand Alora, Kedah (Feb 22), the WEIL Hotel, Perak (Feb 23), Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral (Feb 24) and ends at Thistle Hotel, Johor Bharu (Feb 25).
“We can see the domestic tourism industry growing gradually following the accelerated booster shots across Malaysia,” Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) deputy CEO (marketing communication, research and private corporate relations) Suriya Charles Buas pointed out in his welcoming speech.
“This is the perfect time for all tourism players to seize this opportunity to market their products and boost the tourism industry further.”
With this in mind, the Sarawak state government, Sarawak Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts Sarawak have taken the necessary steps to ensure an eco-friendly, responsible and sustainable tourism industry in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In an effort to cultivate a culture of Responsible Tourism among personnel from Sarawak Divisional Offices, STB has organised a two-day virtual workshop for its Divisional Tourism Task Group (DTTG) with the objective of inspiring them to adopt a sustainability mindset.
Last year, STB conducted Sarawak Tourism Virtual Product Update 1.0 and 2.0 virtually for domestic travel agencies and tour operators in West Malaysia and Sabah buyers which garnered positive results from 300 buyers from Peninsula Malaysia, ASEAN region and Sabah along with over 30 sellers from Sarawak’s travel and tour services sector.
Meanwhile, Sarawak is targeting to receive 1.2 million visitors and generate RM3.2 bil in tourism receipts this year, according to its Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The number of visitors coming to Sarawak has shot up by more than 400% in January and February this year compared to the corresponding months last year. – Feb 23, 2022
