TO say that the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is a prime mover when it comes to attracting tourists to the state would be an understatement.
For all intents and purposes, STB, which has been around since the 1990s, has got its fingers on the tourism pulse. It is the cornerstone in the state government’s tourism push.
STB not only promotes Sarawak as a prime destination for culture, nature and adventure tourism but also acts as a catalyst for tourism growth.
It is also known for primarily promoting major international events in the state, namely, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), Borneo Jazz Festival, and other events such as Sarawak Regatta, What About Kuching (WAK), and even the recent International Museum Day, just to name a few.
With its tagline “Sarawak, More To Discover”, STB’s aim is to continue increasing awareness among Sarawakians on the benefits and importance of the tourism industry.
In the wake of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah’s comment on Sarawak’s aspiration to become the main hub for international concerts in Malaysia, STB chief executive officer, Sharzede Salleh Askor hereby shared her thoughts with New Sarawak Tribune on what the state could do further to scale those heights.
MOTIVATOR
Sharzede explained that concerts were perceived as “drivers” or motivators for the state government to promote Sarawak further.
“This is because they will attract more tourists from all over Malaysia and the world to come to Sarawak.
“After the concerts, some tourists will travel to other places in Sarawak,” she explained.
To some extent, Sharzede said Sarawak was indeed ready for major international concerts.
“Because we do have the capacity to cater to major international concerts, but if we are looking at events that require major capacity, then improving the infrastructure should be the number one priority,” she said.
MAIN SUPPORTER
Whenever STB receives any proposals from various event management companies to organise events including international concerts, the board often encourages and supports them as its role is to promote and market the event.
“Because STB’s role is to assist the event management companies when it comes to funding, we will direct them to the right source where they can approach the Ministry for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) for it.
“On our part, whenever the MTCP backs any event, we will support in terms of the marketing and promoting the event,” she added.
“This is because STB has all the social media platforms, online and digital platforms, to promote the events.
“We also will give a big thumbs-up to the ministry if the event is beneficial to the tourism industry. That is how we play our part,” she said.
CAPACITIES AND ACCOMMODATION
Sharzede explained that one of the biggest challenges that she had seen so far in the industry was venue capacity.
“Bringing international artistes to Sarawak not only costs a lot but it requires us to be able to find a venue that caters to more than 10,000 people.
“Then, we look into accommodation in Kuching, especially, the hotels and homestays among others.
“If the international artistes come into Sarawak, can you imagine the number of visitors who will be coming as well? That does not include other events or festivals that are going on,” she said.
Sharzede explained that accommodation was crucial to ensure visitors enjoyed their stays.
“Obviously, we have homestays, AirBnBs, and hotels throughout the state but, at the same time, because we have visitors who want five-star places, of course we want to ensure they are provided with these as well. Do we have enough of these?,” she asked.
She emphasised that the improvement of infrastructure and accommodation was therefore crucial.
“We hope the state government and the investors will address address this issue.
“If investors can see the potential in Sarawak, they should be confident enough to develop high end facilities and accommodation in the state,” she said.
She pointed out that tourism was all about outstanding facilities and getting tourists to have amazing experiences in Sarawak.
“We do have the products but we need to ensure the quality of these products.
“That is why I am very happy and glad that we will have hotels coming up soon (referring to the Sheraton Hotel), and that is fantastic. If we have other international brands coming in, that is even better,” she added.
Sharzede also felt that if organisers were confident the state could cater to large scale concerts, investors would immediately see the potential.
“Then, they will be willing to invest in infrastructure to cater to this need,” she added.
For Sarawak to be able to host international concerts, Sharzede stated that it was also important for local stadiums to be upgraded into multipurpose stadiums.
“This is to enable organisers to stage both indoor and outdoor concerts.
“Plus, the direction must be very clear because we would want to use the facilities that we invest millions in for other functions and events.
“If we have multipurpose stadiums or venues, that would be very fantastic,” she said.
BIGGER PROFITS
From a business standpoint, Sharzede said that international concerts would certainly generate major revenues, especially for those who organised them.
“The thing is everybody, especially the commercial entities, are doing them for the sake of profits.
“That said, the prices for the tickets of the concerts will depend on the market and the kind of concerts the organisers are staging.
“If you have a big capacity, then you might as well spread the costs and who knows the prices of the tickets can be a little cheaper.
At the end of the day, the organisers are also looking at the capacity and whether they can cover the costs or not,” she said.
Sharzede said besides the food and beverage (F&B) industries, other small and medium businesses would also benefit from the concert as well.
“Even if you are not involved in F&B, if you are selling goods during the concerts, I believe you will gain some profits from it.
“ The only thing that matters is that the entrepreneurs should try and leverage on the events through and through.
“I believe every business that can reach out to any interest will benefit,” she said.
GREAT PLACE
Sharzede hopes that Sarawak can be a venue for international performers who feel comfortable about the idea.
“Just like Big Mountain and Gypsy King when they performed during the recent RWMF 2023. They loved it here.
“They said to us the other day, when they come back here, they want to go fishing.
“That kind of moment shows how much they respect the place. We want the people to know us through concerts and other events and develop a strong bonding there,” she said.
Sharzede also stated that at the same time, international performers must respect local culture whenever they came to any country or state like Sarawak.
She explained that international performers should not abuse the privilege they were given when they came to Sarawak to perform.
“If they abuse it, they will disappoint their fans even more, and the fans might not want to support them any longer.
“If we can respect their rules and regulations when we travel to their country, then they should respect our rules as well.
“We should also make it clear to the performers these are the rules, and if they break them, these are the consequences and so on,” she added.
She also did not rule out that there would be some conservative group that would say something whenever a concert was being held.
“However, at the end of the day, it is all about what the majority wants, and what the majority wants is to see a concert and the performers they love.
“That includes bringing their family or their friends, enjoying the event and making sure that they will remember it for the rest of their lives,” she said.
