Abang Johari (front row, seventh right) with participants of the course in a photo call after the event.
KUCHING: Sarawak is putting in place several measures to prime itself as a top Islamic tourism destination, especially among Arabs.
Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state had its own specialty to offer, and with young tourists starting to indulge in nature tourism, the state wanted to get a fair share of the market.
“Arabs are known to spend on branded items, and they preferred to go to shopping malls. But their younger generations have started a different trend – they like to indulge in nature, which we, in Sarawak, have,” he said at the opening of Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MCTP) training course on marketing and promotion of Islamic tourism destination here yesterday.
He added that Kuching, for example, had everything to offer for those seeking nature as the city had several national parks within its vicinity.
“The construction of the Haj Complex and TH Hotel by Tabung Haji will cater to the needs of Muslim tourists, who are particular about several issues.”
He added that the new hotel, expected to be completed in two years time, would have a separate swimming pool for males and females, and a female-only wing.
“We are also working closely with shopping malls to provide prayer rooms for Muslim visitors.”
Apart from nature, he said the state would soon have its own water theme park at Samariang, and with the completion of several shopping malls, it would be enough to cater to tourists and locals.
“We are expecting five million tourist arrivals this year, and we will continue to look at new markets in the Islamic tourism sector.”
Islamic Tourism Centre director general Zulkifly Md Said, in his speech, said 15 people from 14 countries were participating in the short course.
“They are representing their respective departments, and they are directly or indirectly involved in marketing and promotion of tourism. Eleven of them are from member countries of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and four are from ASEAN.”
On a related matter, Zulkifly said Malaysia had been voted as the ‘Best Destination for Muslim Travellers’ for the fifth year in a row through a survey conducted by MasterCard and Crescentrating travel consultancy based in Singapore.
“Malaysia came out tops in four sectors: halal food, travel, Islamic finance, and Pharma & Cosmetics. It is important to note that consumers of the Islamic economy are primarily Muslims, but it also includes non-Muslims.”