(From second left) Sharzede, Hii, Abdul Karim, Dennis and Nasaruddin pose with the paper cut-outs and leaflets of the RWMF 2022 during the official launching ceremony yesterday. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (April 13): The globally recognised Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) will be celebrating its Silver Jubilee this year by hosting the musical event via a hybrid format at Sarawak Cultural Village.
Themed ‘Legendary Rainforest Celebration’, the physical concert will be held at Sarawak Cultural Village from June 17 to 19, while viewers can livestream the event through an online viewing platform that will be launched soon.
A host of international performers are expected to take part in the musical festival, including those from the United States, Finland, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Bhutan and South Korea.
Sarawak Arts Council will also be collaborating with Sarawak Tourism Board for the first time in mixing traditional Sarawakian music with international flavours during the opening event of the three-day musical festival.
Early bird ticket sale will start on April 18 and the price for an adult one-day pass for the physical concert at Sarawak Cultural Village is at RM150, adult three-day pass at RM375, child one-day pass is RM80, child three-day pass is RM155 for and RM400 for one-day family package pass for two adults and two children.
The virtual tickets for RMWF are priced at RM25 and the purchase of tickets can be made at rwmf.net.
Malaysia Airlines, meanwhile, has been named as the official airline partner for the festival, and the cooperation between Malaysia Aviation Group and Sarawak Tourism Board will see Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Journify offering attractive deals comprising flights and the three-day event pass to bring visitors to Sarawak.
Malaysia Airlines and Firefly will have early birds deals that offer customers discounts of up to 15 per cent and 10 per cent on selected Malaysia Airlines flights, including from the London, Australia and some Southeast Asia nations destinations, as well as the recently launched Firefly’s route from Penang to Kuching.
The sales run from April 25 to May 14 for travels from June 1 until June 30.
These tickets are available exclusively for those who purchase the three-day pass through the airline’s respective websites, and they are required to include a unique promo code to enjoy the great discounts on air tickets.
Customers will also have the option to purchase ‘value-for-flights’ deals, exclusively available on Journify that offers MHflypass plus a three-day pass to RWMF event at a fixed attractive price.
Early birds can grab a MHflypass for as low as RM1,774 for Zone 2 and RM1,974 for Zone 3, with flights valid for one year and inclusive of the three-day festival pass. Multiple payment options are available for customers, including instalment plan or ‘Buy Now Pay Later’.
Zone 2 offers passengers the opportunity to fly between Kuala Lumpur and destinations in Sabah and Sarawak, while Zone 3 allows passengers to fly from Sabah and Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia destinations, with a connection in Kuala Lumpur.
MHflypass offers travellers with up to three return trips flight tickets, or six quotas of one-way trips, to domestic destinations while enjoying benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding, priority baggage drop, unlimited go-show and free date change (subject to seat availability) and extra baggage allowance.
Representing Malaysia Aviation Group, MASwings chief operating officer Captain Nasaruddin A Bakar said the partnership between the Group and Sarawak Tourism Board will see both brands ramping up marketing efforts to promote Malaysia since the reopening of borders.
“We are honoured to be appointed as the official carrier for the highly anticipated 25th edition of Rainforest World Music Festival, to bring in travellers from all over the world to the Land of the Hornbills,” said Nasaruddin.
He added the collaboration will enable the rebuild of the tourism industry, stimulate domestic and international travelling, as well as supporting industry players’ value chain, including travel agents, product owners, local artisans and business partners.
RWMF will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year since it was founded in 1998. The physical musical events had been shelved for the past two years due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Among those present during the official launching ceremony of the RMWF 2022 held at Borneo Cultures Museum were state Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the ministry’s permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee, Sarawak Tourism Board chairman Dennis Ngau and chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor, and Malaysia Airlines global head of marketing Wong Wai Kuan.