THE Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts is intensifying efforts to position Sarawak as a premier destination across various markets this year.
Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim has termed the efforts spearheaded by the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) a ‘leapfrog-expansion strategy’, designed to bolster market penetration, maintain engagement with tourism stakeholders in key markets, and extend reach to second and third-tier destinations globally.
“STB has slated a total of 45 marketing and promotional activities for 2024 across its focus markets, with the aim of reaching a 4 million visitor arrivals target this year.
“In the first quarter of 2024, STB had completed 14 or 31 per cent of its initiatives in all key markets inclusive of Europe (Germany, Finland), North Asia (Taiwan), new market (India), Asean (Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia) and domestic markets.
“STB’s outreach in the first quarter was also extended through international media such as Cable News Network (CNN), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Channel NewsAsia (CNA) International and Forbes Asia,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech today.
Abdul Karim added that the efforts carried out thus far have recorded over 60 million impressions in the first quarter of 2024, including the transformative campaign ‘Gateway to Borneo’ and refreshed destination logo ‘Sarawak More to Discover’, unveiled at ITB Berlin Travel Fair held in Germany.
“STB also organised two media familiarisation trips in the first quarter of 2024, hosting media representatives from Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
“The STB Digital Communication team collaborated with top content creators, Online Travel Agents (OTA), and platforms such as Tripzilla, Untravelled, TripAdvisor, Traveloka, Expedia, Klook, among others, to amass over 170 million impressions,” he added.
Meanwhile , STB will host the Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) 2024 from June 26 to 28 at the Borneo Cultures Museum.
The event’s theme “Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future” aims to position Sarawak as a hub for exchange and dialogue on matters of the rainforest and sustainability which aligns with Sarawak’s tourism ecosystem.
