Harry (left) handing over a memento to Suriya during the dinner in Kuching.
KUCHING: When it comes to promoting tourism spots, it can be done through various methods.
For state Tourism and Culture Ministry director Suriya Charles Buas, the best way is still by word of mouth.
“These spots can be your place of origin, or places you have visited – as long as they get promoted.
“For us, it’s never too late to practise the habit of promoting these places of interest,” he spoke during Trans-Borneo Expedition 2014 dinner at a local hotel here Thursday night.
In the case of Sarawak, he added, such exercise would help in the state being recognised as a serious player in the tourism industry.
“I believe people will never get bored in listening to whatever it is about these interesting places here and there.”
With various Internet social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram fast becoming a trend in today’s society, Suriya said the tourism sector could greatly benefit from them. In exemplifying this, he mentioned about a group of off-roaders from Sarawak and Sabah, Brunei, the Philippines and Indonesia – West, South, Central and East Kalimantan – having recently circled around the island of Borneo.
“Such activities, will definitely help the tourism industry of these three Borneo countries a lot, through experience and knowledge gained by the participants on the places that they have visited. This information, in turn, is very vital to those wishing to come to Borneo.
“These are the sort of activities that are being encouraged upon those involved in the tourism industry. We need more of these programmes in the future; and I salute the organiser who initiated it,” he added.
Some seven off-road vehicles from the state were used the just-concluded Trans-Borneo Expedition, which ran from Aug 17 to 31.
Held for the first time since the last one in 1997, the tour began in Pontianak, Indonesia and ended in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Harry Sanusi, an Indonesian based in Jakarta, led the expedition.