KUCHING, 25 November 2022: Sarawak Tourism Board is confident it will draw more Indonesian tourists to Sarawak following its ‘Sarawak A Journey Awaits’ Business Networking Sessions (B2B) held in East Kalimantan earlier this week.
STB engaged with about 120 local travel agencies and tour operators in Samarinda and Balikpapan through the B2B roadshow in collaboration with Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) and Tourism Malaysia Jakarta. The B2B networking promoted Sarawak as a tourism destination offering medical and health tourism opportunities and leisure travel. The roadshow also fostered business collaboration between Sarawak tourism enterprises and East Kalimantan tourism stakeholders while engaging with the media to create a stronger Sarawak brand presence.
STB Director of Marketing (ASEAN & Domestic) Barbara Benjamin Atan said the networking sessions provided an opportunity to keep Sarawak in mind for East Kalimantan stakeholders while promoting the rich land of Sarawak against the fascinating backdrop of adventure, nature festivals, food and its variety of unique tourism products.
“With a surge in international travels, it was a perfect opportunity for Sarawak and the East Kalimantan tourism stakeholders to come together to refresh and relook at their efforts in boosting Sarawak as a preferred tourism destination choice,” she said.
“One of the attractions for the market in East Kalimantan is Sarawak health tourism which offers affordable and high-quality services. Before the pandemic, Indonesia was the largest supplier in the medical tourism sector, with 53,000 health and wellness tourists visiting Sarawak. The transfer of the capital of Indonesia from Jakarta to Kalimantan will also be an important factor to facilitate potential health tourists to seek treatment in Sarawak given the nearby geographical position,” the STB director added.
Apart from MHTC and Tourism Malaysia Jakarta, other participating agencies in the sessions included Normah Medical Specialist Centre, Khaimal Borneo Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, Hemisphere Corporation Sdn Bhd and Damai Beach Resort.
The ’Sarawak A Journey Awaits’ roadshow in East Kalimantan took place in Samarinda on 22 November at Mercure Hotel City Centre and in Balikpapan on 23 November at Grand Senyiur Hotel.
For more information visit: www.sarawaktourism.com.
(Your Stories: Sarawak Tourism Board)
