Abang Johari (second right) speaking to Singapore travel agents at the reception.
KUCHING: Singapore travel agents are urged to promote Sarawak’s unique tourism products to their customers.
Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state’s tourism products are not only affordable but located “just next door” to Singapore.
According to him, sports fishing, outdoor and back to nature, cultural escapades were among niche tourism product experiences that interested Singaporeans but had yet to be fully exploited by travel agents.
“I personally know of groups of fishing enthusiasts from Singapore who resorted to making their own arrangements to come to Kuching for weekend fishing,” he said, pointing out that sports fishing packages could attract more anglers and fishing enthusiasts if professionally organised.
Speaking at a Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) appreciation and networking reception in Singapore yesterday, he noted that outdoor experiences could be packaged to include nature with conservation and cultural experiences thrown in.
He advised local Sarawak agents to be more creative in packaging Sarawak products to enhance visitor’s experiences, and customise them to give better value.
Abang Johari was pleased that his first promotional trip for the year started early with Singapore as first destination, showing it an important tourism market for Sarawak.
The minister acknowledged that Sarawak must be competitive in product offering, pricing and persistent promotion in the market place thus called on Sarawak partners to be more aggressive by creating interesting packages to survive in this competitive industry.
Abang Johari was accompanied by Tourism Assistant Minister Datuk Talib Zulpilip and six Sarawak travel agents on the trip, during which he met president of Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers, Tan Guan Heng; hosted a business luncheon for Silk Air CEO Leslie Thng; and attended a marketing briefing at Tourism Malaysia’s office in Singapore.