SIBU: Sarawak is back on track in terms of visitor arrivals, said Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said the number of tourist arrivals this year will be able to approach the figures achieved in 2018 and 2019, before the pre-Covid-19 pandemic days.
Abdul Karim was confident that several big events like the Asean International Film Festival and Awards 2023 and the national-level International Museum Day 2023 will attract more visitors to the state.
“So basically, we are already back on track. As a minister, I have no complaint, and it is up to our expectations,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) at Dataran Tun Tuanku Bujang here last night (July 23).
According to the statistics on the ministry’s website, Sarawak received a total of 1.957 million tourists from January until June this year.
In 2018 and 2019, the state received a total of 4.430 million and 4.662 million tourists, respectively.
Meanwhile, on BCF, the Asajaya assemblyman said that BCF which was launched in 2003 has become the most important tourism event in the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) tourism calendar, where many (tourists) return yearly.
The 18th edition of BCF culminated in a splendid and spectacular display of fireworks last night with a mammoth crowd at the venue to watch the fireworks and cultural performances from countries including Indonesia and China.
Also present were Abdul Karim’s wife Datin Zuraini Abdul Jabbar, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Michael Tiang Ming Tee, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting, Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng Jin Ek, Lanang MP Alice Lau, SMC chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh and SMC deputy chairman Mohamed Abdullah Izkandar Roseley.
