KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak is known by many for its natural splendour and cultural diversity but now with its steadily improving infrastructure, positively shifting mindsets, and its offering of a wide variety of events, the state is showing even greater potential in the tourism sector.
“First and foremost, we have to clean our backyard. This means engaging our stakeholders and industry players to make them feel more gung-ho and confident in what we’re doing,” Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor said during an interview on Monday.
She mentioned some upcoming infrastructure developments to popular tourist sites in the state, such as at Niah Cave and Tusan Beach, the latter of which will be upgrading with a boardwalk.
“I am not denying that there are a lot of things that we have to improve upon, and that is also why there is a Visit Sarawak Campaign.
“We are reminding people that you must have this mindset – think tourism, act tourism,” she emphasised.
According to Sharzede, part of shifting the mindset particularly among the locals is focusing on responsible tourism.
Touching on Sarawak’s extensive range of events, she estimated that there was a total of 105 events in a year, with about 50 percent of them being international.
“Every time we hold these international events, it beams to the world where Sarawak is and what it has to offer,” she said, adding that events are a great way to attract crowds into the state.
Meanwhile, Sharzede stressed that over-tourism was a huge no-no for her.
“I believe in niche tourism — giving people the right kind of products and having quality products for them to enjoy.
“Both the visitors and the community in itself should enjoy it. And that is what is important, tourism is about the economic benefits to the community too,” she said, adding that over-tourism hurts the local community.
Sharzede disclosed that currently 54 percent of Sarawak’s tourists are from the domestic sector, and the rest are from international regions. She highlighted STB’s focus on the domestic market.
“If you walk around Bukit Bintang, you will see Sarawak everywhere such as on the big screen there. It is about Sarawak’s visibility,” she said.
With a target of five million visitors by the end of the year, a tall order as previous years have seen an average of 4.4 million visitors per year and an all-time high of 4.8 million, Sharzede said that STB was still keen to take on the challenge.
When asked to comment on the expenditure involved in such a large-scale Visit Sarawak Campaign, she remained
tight-lipped on the figure, but she did reveal that the amount was at least five times what used to be spent.
“It is a very substantial amount, which means that the state government and the
ministry are really focused on this,” she stated.
Thus, Sharzede explained that the expectations were also very high. At the same time, she sounded that investment in the tourism industry now was crucial to prevent missed opportunities.
“The landscape of tourism is so dynamic. If you miss that boat, everyone would have already caught up,” she stated.
Speaking of the state’s appeal, she described Sarawak to have an authenticity and charm that is intrinsically unique.
“Sarawak has a soul,” Sharzede remarked, adding that STB is promoting five key elements of Sarawak, namely Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF), in line with the Visit Sarawak Campaign themed “Sarawak – More to Discover”.
She described Culture, Adventure and Nature as God-given elements which should be leveraged well as ecotourism.
However, she believed that Food and Festivals factors were where people are brought together and bonds are formed.
“That’s where you come in as strangers and go back as friends and family. That’s the charm of Sarawakians,” she said fondly.
Sharzede expressed Sarawak as a place where tourists can visit, and the local people would make them feel as if they were home.
