BY NATASHA JEE and IDA NADHIRAH
KUCHING: Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM), the biggest museum in Malaysia and second largest in Southeast Asia has reached its one millionth visitor milestone since its opening in 2022.
Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the museum had generated RM5,861,369 from ticket sales and facility rentals since its inception until the present day.
“Today marks a historic occasion for BCM because I feel it is not easy to reach one million visitors. It took us more than two years to reach this number,” he said after welcoming the one millionth local visitor at the museum here on today (Apr 21).
Abdul Karim said he is happy to see both locals and foreigners visiting the museum.
“Since the opening until today, we have had visitors from 152 countries exploring the museum.
“The highest number of visitors from a foreign country was from Indonesia with 8,055 visitors for the same period.
“This is followed by Singapore with 5,999 visitors, the United Kingdom (3,239), and Australia (2,766),” he said.
He is also proud that he has had positive feedback from visitors on BCM.
“We have a lineup of ongoing events, and those who come for these events will make time to visit the museum. Thus, it has become a must-visit place.
“BCM offers an interactive experience, allowing visitors to see and learn the history of Sarawak and Malaysia, explore the diverse ethnicities of the state, and immerse themselves in its rich culture, heritage, way of life and others,” he said.
Looking ahead, Abdul Karim said the Ministry will strive to further increase the popularity of what is exhibited in the museum so that it will become more attractive.
“In addition to organising more programmes, the Sarawak Museum Department will work closely with the Education Department to encourage schools to send students to the museum.
“This is because we are trying to attract the interest of young children so that they can experience history and heritage which is very important,” he said.
On the possibility of reducing entrance fees to attract more visitors, Abdul Karim pointed out that the current rates are already quite affordable compared to those in West Malaysia and Western countries.
“The entrance fees to BCM are much cheaper than if you were to visit museums in West Malaysia. And as compared to the museums in the Western countries, it is much lower,” he said.
Nine-year-old Noor Shaziatul Amani from Sarawak was the one millionth visitor to the museum.
She was accompanied by her parents, Mohd Shahril Muhirin and Noor Azirah Mohd Ali Kenapiah and younger sister Noor Delisha Afia.
Meanwhile, also present were Abdul Karim’s wife, Datin Sri Zuraini Abdul Jabbar, and Sarawak Museum Department director Nancy Jolhi.
BCM was officially launched on March 4, 2022 and opened to the public on March 9, 2022.
