KUCHING, 8 September 2021: Intense vaccination efforts under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme will soon help Sarawak achieve its herd immunity goals, allowing the state to work towards establishing itself as a safe ‘green travel bubble’ destination for vaccinated travellers to visit Sarawak again.
At the end of August, Sarawak had fully vaccinated 86.6% of its adult population, making over 1.76 million of its people, including tourism frontliners. The state is currently working on expediting the vaccination of individuals aged from 12 to 17.
STB chief executive officer Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said that despite the uncertainties and disruption from the pandemic, the tourism sector in Sarawak has remained persistent and resilient throughout this change and that STB stayed fully committed in its collective efforts to support and revive the industry.
Among its various tourism initiatives to keep Sarawak top-of-mind, STB participated in the Virtual PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2021 organised by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) along with its travel agent partners last week. The mart delivered interactive networking sessions with over 150 buyers.
“We welcome you to discover Sarawak’s beauty which is filled with unique and diversified cultures and traditions. It is home to 27 ethnic groups, making it a prime destination for adventures and travellers seeking new cultures, the hidden discovery of flora and fauna with exhilarating adventure and breath-taking nature. Whether you are looking for Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food or Festivals, you will always find that there’s always more to discover in Sarawak,” Sharzede said.
To cater to the rising demands of concerned consumers on responsible tourism, Sharzede assured that Sarawak put sustainability at the forefront and that STB was focused on quality tourists over quantity, with emphasis on slow tourism, which allows tourists to immerse themselves in Sarawak’s CANFF elements. These contribute towards ensuring the sustainability of its environment and biodiversity.
To boost safe travel post-Covid-19, the Sarawak Government would seek to facilitate tourism by introducing Covid-19 travel passports, digital travel passes, digital landing apps, tourist information and GPS tracking – all of which were already in the final stage of planning.
Laying the groundwork to resume both domestic and international travel, the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture Sarawak (MTAC) is in the midst of preparing the requirements and guidelines to open the tourism sector once Sarawak has achieved herd immunity against Covid-19.
Meanwhile, pensioners looking to spend their golden years abroad in warm and friendly climes can check out the Sarawak- Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) programme, which allows foreigners who fulfil certain criteria to make Sarawak their second home with a multiple-entry social pass.
For more information on S-MM2H, visit: https://mtac.sarawak.gov.my/page-0-179-49-Sarawak-Malaysia-My-Second-Home-Explanation-Flyer-Forms.html
For more information about Sarawak, log on to Sarawak Tourism Board’s website: https://sarawaktourism.com.
About Sarawak Tourism Board
Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is the key promoter for Sarawak. STB is a winner of the Asia Pacific Excellence Awards in 2018 and 2016 by the Asia Pacific Association of Communications Directors (APACD) and has received the ASEAN PR Excellence Award 2015 Gold Award.
The Board also received the Travel Journal Awards in 2017 for the ‘Best for Nature’ category at the ASEAN Tourism Forum. The Rainforest World Music Festival is a five-time Top 25 Best International Festivals recognised by Songlines world music magazine (2011 – 2015), The BrandLaureate World BestBrands Award “Destination Branding” (2019) and PATA Gold Award Marketing Travel Video winner “Why Limit Yourself” (2019).
