KUCHING: Eighteen local and foreign media practitioners participated in Malaysia’s Mega Familiarisation Programme (Mega Fam) to experience first-hand the uniqueness of Sarawak.
The journalists who participated in the programme this time were from Australia, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Singapore.
The Mega Fam themed ‘Let’s Do Something Different’ is a programme organised by Tourism Malaysia in an effort to promote the country’s fascinating destinations.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said they chose Sarawak as the destination for the Mega Fam this time, because the state is rich in biodiversity.
“This is also in line with Tourism Malaysia’s intention to promote eco-tourism in the state, in conjunction with Visit Sarawak Year.
“The media practitioners were taken to several interesting locations in Sarawak, such as the Semenggok Wildlife Centre, Kampung Danu and a longhouse in Batang Ai,” he told reporters after attending a Mega Fam programme’s farewell dinner here, last night.
Musa said, with the experience foreign media practitioners could share interesting stories in their respective countries, as well as promote the uniqueness, cultural richness and the interesting destinations in Malaysia.
“We want tourists coming to Malaysia, to also visit Sarawak, so they can stay longer in our country.
“If they stay longer, then they will spend more, so indirectly, the country’s revenue from tourist arrivals will also increase,” he said.
For the first quarter of this year, for the first three months alone, the revenue from tourist arrivals recorded RM21.4 billion. – Bernama
