KUCHING, 16 July 2021: Sarawak Tourism Board kicked off its first virtual B2B event with the launch of its inaugural Sarawak Tourism Virtual Product Update (B2B) Thursday.
Running from 14-15 July, the two-day virtual update is a platform aiming to connect 30 sellers mainly from Sarawak’s travel and tour services sector, with over 200 buyers from West Malaysia and Sabah.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who officiated the event launch virtually, said that the virtual update was an opportunity for all tourism stakeholders to realign their efforts to recover from a decelerated tourism industry in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.
“I am certain that this will be a very fruitful event for those who are attending a Sarawak Tourism virtual product update. For those of us who are familiar with Sarawak tourism, it is an opportunity to deepen our working relationships and help to innovate Sarawak’s tourism products on the national landscape,” Abdul Karim said.
Meanwhile, STB Chief Executive Officer Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor hoped that participants would take full advantage of the Sarawak Tourism Virtual Update and gain a perfect market fit or even formularise a new tourism product strategy in anticipation of a post-pandemic future.
“Virtual updates offer not only a solution to a problem but an opportunity for growth. Although buyers may not be meeting sellers in person, virtual events offer a host of other advantages. Through virtual events, sellers and buyers will have the opportunity to have more meaningful conversations, the chance to broaden their reach into untapped markets, as well as being able to follow up more effectively on potential clients and sellers,” she said.
Throughout the two-day event, over 200 buyers from West Malaysia and Sabah have direct access to the 30 sellers’ company brochures, a list of tour images, and a brief description of their company’s profile during the event. Aside from that, the B2B platform also includes features such as chat and video calls to allow buyers and sellers to exchange ideas and also set up an appointment for tourism-related plans in the near future.
The virtual update is STB’s most recent effort in its ongoing mission to promote Sarawak as a must-visit CANFF destination, especially in preparation for when the domestic tourism industry reopens.
Since the onset of the pandemic, STB has initiated other campaigns to support the local tourism sector, such as the Sia Sitok Sarawak campaign, Sarawak Tourism Online Ecosystem Fund and the Visitors Incentive Package (VIP) incentives.
For more information, log on to Sarawak Tourism Board’s website: https://sarawaktourism.com.
