KUCHING: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture will collaborate with relevant groups and authorities to boost the health tourism industry in Sarawak.
Its minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that health tourism can provide lucrative opportunities to local private hospitals and medical practitioners, as well as the related tourism and hospitality industry.
“Sarawak has received a total of 34,100 health visitors as of October this year generating a total of RM47.60 million in tourism receipts,” he said.
He was speaking during the 8th Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Awards at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Saturday.
“In 2020, we also hope to attract more healthcare travellers with the launching of Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel 2020,” he said.
Elaborating on his ministry’s initiatives, Abdul Karim said that they were working with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) to develop a Tourism Satellite Account particularly for Sarawak.
He said a framework of complete systematic tourism statistics would be launched.
“Sarawak is proud to be the first state in Malaysia to have it and it will be launched on December 10.”
He added that in line with the state’s digital transformation, a strategy to re-energise the tourism industry would be adopted and a Sarawak Travel App and Portal would be launched soon as well.
Abdul Karim said efforts to improve air connectivity and accessibility had been carried out, including teaming up with Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) for direct Brunei-Kuching flights starting in December last year.
“The flights have shown a positive load factor. Until September this year, the total number of passengers from such flight arrangements has reached 19,799 people,” he said.
He pointed out that the airline had also commenced direct flights to Bintulu and Sibu in November this year.
“Collaborations on joint marketing with AirAsia, Scoot, Malaysia Airlines, and Malindo Air are ongoing and this will promote fly-through flights into Sarawak, although not necessarily direct flights.”
He added that the recent setting up of Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (Statos) had boosted Singaporean arrivals into the state.
“From January to October this year, Singaporeans arrivals into Sarawak was recorded at 37,575 — an increase of 3.7 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2018,” he said.
On the Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Awards, he said that this year’s edition was themed ‘On Fire for Sarawak’ to reflect a strong, burning passion for Sarawak’s tourism industry.
