Sarawak cries for quick reply from MAS

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FIRST HAND LOOK: Abang Johari (standing second right) visits the booths accompanied by Muzammil Mohamad.

KUCHING: Sarawak hopes that Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will give a quick answer to its request for additional international flight routes which had previously been identified.

Minister of Tourism Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg said so far there had been no official word from the national carrier.

He said two identified flight routes were Hong Kong-Kuching and the other route served the North-South traffic from Europe to Australia.

“My ministry has provided all the packages which should be covered in the ‘Borneo Adventure Holidays’. That is the product that we want to promote in collaboration with MAS.

“But until now we have not received any official answers from MAS, and I believe that the management are still studying (our proposal). But that might need a longer period of time. I believe MAS will review the need for Sarawak,” he told reporters here yesterday.

He had earlier launched the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Travel Fair 2013 at Boulevard Shopping Mall.

Also present were Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Talib Zulpilip, Malaysia Airlines’ deputy president (Malaysian and Asean region) Muzammil Mohamad, and Matta Sarawak chairwoman Dayang Azizah Abang Zaidan.

Abang Johari said having more international routes would mean the need to invest more in infrastructure, and Sarawak would do that once a favourable response is given by MAS.

He added that the state had thus far invested more than RM2 billion on the necessary infrastructure since more than a decade ago.

“Next year, we will host the Asia Route Conference, and this is where all airline big shots and airport authorities will assemble.

“Then in 2015, we will be practicing the ‘open sky’ policy, which means other airlines will be flying in, such as Singapore Airlines, or any others in the Asean region will be welcomed to fly here.”

On the Matta Travel Fair, Abang Johari said his ministry would allocate funds to Matta Sarawak so that the exhibition would become an annual affair.

The gair, which is participated by 70 travel agencies, will be on until tomorrow, and is opened from 10am to 9pm.