Abang Johari (second left) presents the Sarawak State Outstanding Entrepreneurship of the Year 2016 award to Naim Holdings Berhad managing director Datuk Hasmi Hasnan. From left are Assistant Minister for Industrial Development (Investment and Promotions) Datuk Julaihi Narawi and SCCI president Datuk Abang Abdul Karim Tun Openg. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapha
KUCHING: Sarawak needs the private sector’s help to develop and upgrade the state’s tourism facilities.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said upgraded facilities would draw more tourists to Sarawak.
Tourism is estimated to make up 15 per cent of Sarawak’s gross domestic product (GDP) – the third largest contributor to the economy.
“When I recently visited a few tourism destinations in Sarawak, I was dismayed that some of the places, for example, do not have simple things such as a park guide or even a small booth selling souvenirs. These little things should be given emphasis if they want to be top tourist destinations,” said Abang Johari during the Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SCCI) 65th anniversary dinner on Friday.
“One of the main concerns for the state government is facilities in the rural areas. We want tourists to have the best experience when coming to Sarawak and one of the facilities which we can start upgrading on is the Internet connectivity and quality in the rural areas.”
Other facilities requiring upgrades include immigration facilities, especially near the Miri-Sungai Tujuh immigration checkpoint, to draw in foreign tourists visiting Brunei to add Sarawak to their trip as well.
Meanwhile, he said there will be more chartered flights coming to Sarawak from East Asia soon.
“Chartered flights are test beds for the airlines. Soon (in the pipeline) we will have 19 chartered flights from Chinese Taipei and 20 flights from Hebei province, China,” he said.
Currently, Sarawak also has twice weekly direct flights from Hong Kong by Hong Kong Airlines.