Abdul Karim (second, left) seen speaking to reporters during the press conference.
KUCHING: The state government wants to study the impact of having more tourists visiting Sarawak before negotiating for more direct international flights to the state.
According to State Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, inviting more tourists to the state needs special preparation and the government must first make sure that they are ready to accommodate a large number of them here.
Speaking during a press conference held at his office at the Masja complex today, he pointed out that there was no point of inviting more tourists via direct international flights if the state cannot provide the proper facilities for them.
“There is a lot which needs to be studied before we can invite more tourists to come to Sarawak. We want to make sure that we can provide what is best for them,” he added.
He cited the price of local items such as food as one example.
“Sabah, a state popular with tourists, is where the prices for food, more specifically seafood, is more expensive.
“Even the locals can’t afford to buy seafood there. We do not want that to happen here,” he said.
Sarawak is set to have a direct international flight from Shenzen, China by the end of the year.
Abdul Karim also revealed that there are also many direct international flights in the pipeline planned by the state government including one from South Korea, which he said was a possibility.