KUCHING: Sarawak registered 2.6 million visitors between January and August this year, translating to tourism receipts amounting to RM6.85 billion.
In terms of arrivals it works out to a 188.9 per cent increase from the 897,903 visitors who came to Sarawak shores during the first eight months of last year.
And as for revenue the increase in arrivals led to a three-fold spike, from the RM2.12 billion recorded between Jan-Aug 2022.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who disclosed these figures is bullish about the industry, stating that it is back to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels.
And he reckons Sarawak may have also already surpassed its three million tourist arrivals target.
He said this during a press conference on the upcoming Sarawak Regatta in conjunction with the upcoming Kuching Waterfront Festival 2023 here Tuesday (Oct 3).
“Like last year, we targetted a visitor arrival of 1.2 million but we
exceeded the number and reached two million visitors by the end of 2022.
“This year, we have set a three million target but I believe we have surpassed the three million by September. We will see how it goes once we get the figures from the Department of Immigration,” he said.
Abdul Karim said the target will nevertheless not be revised even it had been surpassed with a few months to go this year.
He said in August this year, the number of visitors coming to Sarawak stood at 324,173, compared to 194,012 visitors in August last year.
“Out of 324,173 visitors who came in August, foreigners accounted for 168,822 compared to August 2022 (78,880).
“As for domestic visitors, arrivals in August stood at 155,351, which is a growth of 34.93 per cent compared to August 2022 (115,132),” he said.
As for tourism receipts, Abdul Karim stated estimations for August this year amounted to RM818.34 million, compared to August last year which recorded RM467.99 million.
He said all these shows that the tourism industry in Sarawak has been picking up very well.
