Abdul Karim (fourth left) holds a saxophone, and joined by Hii (left), Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) deputy chairman Robert Lau (right), Gracie (fourth right) and others posing for a photo-call.
SIBU: The request by Sibu folk for the keenly awaited Sibu-Singapore direct flight will be given due consideration, said Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“Now, since we (Sarawak) have a tourism and trade office in Singapore – probably, it is a good time to consider (the request) but then, we will need a lot of discussions on this,” he added.
The Asajaya assemblyman told reporters this after the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival Showcase at a leading hotel here last night.
Also present were Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee, Sibu Resident Charles Siaw and Gracie Geikie of Place Borneo Sdn Bhd.
Abdul Karim also noted there are many flights from Kuching to Sibu.
“But direct flights from outside (Sarawak) – there is always this pull (factor) – Kuching wants it and so does Miri – so, we have to see one at the time.
“Let the industry develop in these cities and from there – it will go into the flights. I can’t make those promises as yet toward Sibu, whether the flights are coming in from China and all that. Normally, it will always be the capital and fortunately, Kuching is the capital (for Sarawak),” he said when asked if there would be more direct flights to Sibu.
He said: “But after that once, we see the market is good then, we will make arrangements for airlines to go directly to Sibu, or Miri.”
For the record, AirAsia commenced its Sibu-Kota Kinabalu flight on Jan 1 this year.
That aside, Abdul Karim noted that Sibu has good potential for tourism market more so, it is considered to be the gateway to the hinterlands.
In this regard, he disclosed that one of the areas his ministry was looking into was eco-tourism, adventure since tourists would need to go through Sibu to reach the interiors.
“Therefore, I can see that Sibu is a very good market for eco-tourism, nature and so on,” the minister enthused.
He stressed on the importance of good road accessibility and facilities for tourism industry here to thrive.
Earlier, Abdul Karim watched the ‘Voglers’ from Kuching belting out a jazz number.
The Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival (KWJF) is set to take place at the Waterfront Walkway of Grand Margherita Hotel in Kuching this Sept 27 and 28.
The festival is organised by SEDC through its operating unit Grand Margherita Hotel, and managed by Place Borneo Sdn Bhd.
The event also receives full support from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, as well as Sarawak Tourism Board (STB).