KUCHING (April 5): Sarawak’s tour agencies are urged to create more packages with the state’s rural sectors, in a bid to boost eco-tourism and expose tourists to a more meaningful cultural experience.
Deputy Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Snowdan Lawan stated while city centres like Kuching, Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu continue to attract tourists, Sarawak’s interior regions—particularly among tourists from Europe—are becoming more popular.
“Tourists should be able to discover the quirkiness and beauty of our rural towns. While the cities are already saturated on the tourism map, it’s also nice that packages include authentic experiences like longhouse homestays in the interior,” he added while opening Matta Fair Sarawak 2025 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
Snowdan was responding to questions on the ministry’s direction on rural tourism, amid recent emphasis on city-based attractions.
The ministry, he added, had been proactively promoting the inclusion of rural places in holiday itineraries through the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta).
For instance, many of the visitors want to stay in real longhouses. While there is a prelude to this at the Sarawak Cultural Village, that is still an edited experience. To plunge in, they have to enter the real rural villages,” he said.
This year’s Matta Fair Sarawak, which ran on April 5 and 6, has 102 stalls, an increase from last year’s 82 stalls. The fair is offering good packages for regional and international travel and is a key indicator in assisting travel agencies in recuperating from the Covid-19 slowdown, said organiser Snowdan.
“Last year, the fair generated approximately RM9 million in bookings. With greater participation this time, we’re optimistic about surpassing that figure,” he said.
Snowdan also pointed to the growing potential of medical tourism, particularly among Indonesians, as a significant contributor to Sarawak’s tourism landscape.
“Majority of Indonesian citizens, especially those from Jakarta, are choosing to travel to Sarawak for treatment. Our medical professionals have proved themselves capable of providing what is required, and word of mouth continues to draw more individuals in,” he disclosed, citing a recent Kuching-Jakarta charter flight where half of the passengers departed for the local hospitals, including Normah, KPJ, and BMC, for treatment.”.
He highlighted that health tourism is currently a key performance driver for the state’s tourism sector.
With the record-high target of five million tourist arrivals in 2025, Snowdan reaffirmed the ministry’s total commitment to achieving the ambitious target.
