Australian tourism agents attend an update session on Sarawak tourism products.
SYDNEY: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), with support from Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB), wrapped up the ‘Sarawak Tourism Roadshow in Australia’ here on Monday.
The event, which took off on May 14, consisted of business-to-business (B2B) sessions and detailed updates of products from the southern, central and northern Sarawak, involving over 200 agents in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
“The roadshow promoted the themes of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals, in line with the Visit Sarawak Campaign, which has been ongoing since late 2018,” said a STB spokesman.
Highlighted during the roadshow were various Sarawak products such as the Old Kuching City Heritage Trail for its historical value, Sibu and the central region of Sarawak with its rich culture, and the northern region with its a Unesco World Heritage Site, the Mulu National Park.
Educational and conservation programmes were also promoted, alongside the Rainforest World Music Festival slated for July 12 to 14 this year, and the Borneo Jazz Festival on July 19-21.
“The roadshow also focused on responsible tourism, which has become a focal point in the ‘Visit Sarawak Campaign’ in that it aims to promote greener practices, products and attractions in tourism,” said the spokesman.
The three Sarawak industry partners that took part in the Australian roadshow were Ecogreen Holidays Travel Sdn Bhd from Kuching, Greatown Travel Sdn Bhd from Sibu, and Brighton Travel & Tour Sdn Bhd from Miri.
“The turnout at the roadshow was great; the opportunity to highlight Sarawak as a destination of choice together with many options for various types of tours to suit incoming tourist expectations, had been achieved,” said Ecogreen Holidays Travel director Gary Spelwinde, who participated in Sarawak Tourism Roadshow for the first time.
STB is aggressively intensifying its marketing efforts and collaborations with trade partners in Australia in tandem with its long-haul marketing plan to attract Australian visitors into Sarawak, with the aim to achieve its targeted visitor’s arrival of five million this year.