SINGAPORE, 4 June 2021: The Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) has spearheaded a new marketing push to attract home buyers and long stay visitors to Sarawak.
The strategic partnership between the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture of Sarawak (MTAC), Sarawak Housing and Property Developers Association (SHEDA), Tourism Malaysia and STATOS saw the successful staging of the first “Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) Webinar” last week.
The event attracted registrations from 285 potential investors and retirees from across the region, including Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Australia.
Deputy CEO of STATOS, Putrie Rozana, explained: “I believe our campaign message struck a chord with our target market. People everywhere are spending more time at home making it the perfect time to review their lifestyle choices”.
The event was promoted throughout Southeast Asia with a social media campaign and through Tourism Malaysia’s regional offices reaching out to their database contacts.
In welcoming attendees, Tourism Malaysia senior director, Manoharan Periasami, said: “Malaysia is currently ranked seventh in the World’s Best Places to Retire by International Living, and there are five very important elements that contributed to that ranking – language, security, low cost of living, tropical climate and the friendly people.”
The Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MTAC) Sarawak is responsible for administering the S-MM2H visa program under which more than 1,300 long-stay visas have been granted to families and retirees in the last 14 years. To date, citizens from the United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Singapore make up the top five source markets for Sarawak.
MTAC permanent secretary, Hii Chang Kee, who spoke at the event, explained: “Sarawak is currently the only state in Malaysia still accepting applications for the S-MM2H programme and to speed up the approval process we have formed a new ‘one-stop-panel’ made up of multiple agencies to fast-track approvals within 90 days.”
Sam Lion, a Singaporean who originally spent two years in Kuching on a working visa, explained to the audience that when his family returned to Singapore, they struggled as they missed the relaxed pace of life in Sarawak and kept finding excuses to return.
They were accepted into the S-MM2H program in 2016 and had been moving between their homes in Singapore and Kuching ever since. Sarawak’s comparatively low cost of living, education and health care costs were a major drawcard for them.
Lion explained, “In Sarawak, MYR600,000 can secure a spacious home or apartment whereas in Singapore it costs that much for a three-room HDB flat.”
Regal International Group chairman Dato Dominic Su represented the Sarawak Housing and Property Developers Association (SHEDA). He pointed out: “SHEDA members can be found throughout Sarawak and are able to assist buyers in finding the right home. Buyers should make sure they also tell their chosen agents what kind of lifestyle they are seeking in order to get the best possible advice on location and property types within their price range.”
The event attracted many questions from participants about the variety of affordable properties available for buyers looking to purchase or rent a second home.
The event is available to view in full by logging on to STATOS SG via You Tube.
To make the application process faster and easier, MTAC recently appointed 10 registered agents based in Sarawak. These agents can submit applications and act as sponsors on behalf of overseas applicants.
STATOS will continue to provide a marketing platform for the S-MM2H programme as part of their tourism marketing strategy as it benefits both the tourism sector through expenditure revenue and attracts residential investment.
About STATOS
The Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) is an initiative of the Sarawak State Government to strengthen and develop new trade, investment and tourism linkages between Singapore, Sarawak and the world.
Established in August 2019, STATOS provides advisory services to traders, inclusive of importers from Singapore and exporters from Sarawak, investors and tourism players who wish to take advantage of Singapore’s unique position as a regional economic gateway, and Sarawak’s diverse range of resources.
For more information on how to engage in new business opportunities, log on to https://statos.com.sg/
(Source: Your Stories Sarawak)
