SINGAPORE: Unique ecotourism areas as well as the flora and fauna in Sarawak are the biggest attractions for tourists from Singapore to visit the state.
According to Sarawak’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, Datuk Snowdan Lawan, these attractions, as well as culture, food, and festivals, also enhance Sarawak’s tourism strength.
He said the Borneo Fest 2024 in Singapore, organised by the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office in Singapore (STATOS), is considered the best step to further boost tourism in Sarawak.
“I have been informed that many tourists are interested in traveling to Sarawak to see the natural environment because we in Sarawak focus on CANFF, which stands for Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food, and Festivals (CANFF).
“We in Sarawak have many cultures, arts, more than 30 ethnic groups, and many interesting places, food, and so on,” he said after officiating at the Borneo Fest 2024 programme here on Saturday.
Snowdan also expressed confidence that Sarawak can achieve the target of four million visitor arrivals to the state this year.
“If we look at last year, we targeted more than three million visitors, but we achieved more than that. Therefore, this year we are targeting around four million, and I believe we now have a satisfactory number, and I am confident we can reach four million tourists to Sarawak by the end of 2024,” he said.
Meanwhile, STATOS chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani said that it plans to organise the Sarawak Mega Fest in Singapore next year to promote Sarawak as a whole, including on aspects of tourism, trade, and more.
“Hopefully, everything goes smoothly, and we can implement it. Mega Fest will be held on a larger scale than this; we will cover trade, tourism, investment, food, culture, and much more,” he said.
Morshidi also said that the success of STATOS in Singapore serves as a stepping stone to penetrating the global market.
“We have been in Singapore for five years, and we use Singapore as a stepping stone to enter international markets. When we can enter the Singapore market, it means we have reached the standards of this country, and once we achieve that, we can also reach global standards. We are now pushing beyond Singapore,” he said.
Also present were the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment of Sabah, Datuk Christina Liew, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Singapore, Datuk Dr Azfar Mohamad Mustafar, STATOS Chief Executive Officer Chew Chang Guan and General Manager of Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STTOS) Wendy Clare.
