MALAYSIA: More Singaporeans are visiting Sarawak now than there were in the years before the outbreak.
“Sarawak saw an incredible increase in tourist visits in 2023—3,929,657 visitors—representing a 93.82% growth rate from 2022.
Out of that, 32,228 were from Singapore, whereas 60,760 were from 2022.
State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin expressed his satisfaction that Singapore’s tourist arrivals in 2023 have surpassed Sarawak’s record arrivals of 46,812 in 2019, positioning Singapore at the fourth rank among the top 10 nations in terms of visitor arrivals to Sarawak.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, June 5, following the launch of Scoot’s first flight from Singapore to Sibu, Lee predicted that Sarawak’s greatest offers will see an even greater surge in visitors from Singapore as a result of the cooperation with Scoot.
Lee emphasized the significance of the Singapore sector, pointing out that the republic’s strategic location, sophisticated infrastructure, and well-established air routes, which offer effective connections to important international markets and improve Sarawak’s economic and cultural connectivity, make Singapore a vital hub linking Sarawak to the rest of the world.
“We hope that with this new route, many more Singaporeans and people from around the globe will embark on a journey of discovery here in Sarawak,” he stated.
Every week on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, Coot flies to Sibu.
At 5.25 am, it leaves Singapore and arrives at 7.50 am.
There are 112 seats available on the Embraer E190-E2s aircraft.
Scoot also operates daily flights to Kuching and four weekly flights to Miri.
“We hope SIA would also fly to the state so that more Singapore tourists and from other countries could come to Sarawak,” he stated.
Lee added that in addition, his Ministry has been in contact with other airlines to start offering direct flights from other countries to Sarawak.
This includes the Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
