KUCHING: Chinese tourists will be able to return to Sarawak by June if the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) could be addressed soon.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the coronavirus outbreak was affecting tourist arrivals to the state because the government had stopped issuing travel visa to China citizens, especially those from Wuhan.
Besides that, he said several airlines were not flying to China at the moment while Sabah has suspended all flights from China to the state.
“So somehow it has affected us but I am confident that this problem can be addressed soon,” he said.
He noted that the slow-down in tourist arrivals would be in the month of February and March but if the issue could be addressed soon, then by May or June the Chinese tourists would be back.
According to Abdul Karim, Chinese tourists arrival to Sarawak numbered between 3,000 to 4,000 every month as the record showed that about 40,000 of them visited Sarawak last year.
The state’s yearly target of tourist arrivals from China was 50,000.
“However we are not going to stop our promotions.
“We are looking at our regional countries from South East Asia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East countries.
“They will still be coming over and that is the beauty about Sarawak tourism market,” said Abdul Karim when met at the Wushu Federation of Sarawak (WFS) Chinese New Year open house at its premises in Tabuan Laru here yesterday.
Abdul Karim said promotions in China have also stopped for the time being, adding that he was actually supposed to go to Hainan this month but cancelled the programme.
Abdul Karim pointed out that the coronavirus outbreak was a temporary thing and expressed confidence that it could be addressed soon as those countries affected by the virus were intensifying efforts in containing it.
He added the state government was monitoring the situation and hoped the situation would return to normal soon.
The minister also said Sarawak was expected to see a dip in tourism revenue following the suspension of visas to Chinese tourists due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Also present at the open house were Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) executive director Dr Ong Kong Swee, WFS president Allen Wong Siew Poh and his deputy James Ting.
