FACTS & FIGURES© 2019
FACTS & FIGURES© 2019 Rob Allyn / STBOutdoor activitiesare a big driver fortourism in SarawakFacts & figuresSarawak works to boost international tourism2020 sees Sarawak heavily promoting itsdestinations to overseas source markets aspart of the ongoing Visit Sarawak campaign,coupled with Visit Malaysia 2020.The past year has seen 5.2%growth in inbound travellersto Sarawak, from 2018 to2019, with an overall totalof 4,662,419 visitors in theyear. Around 2 m of theseare foreigners. To get a bettergrasp of Sarawak’s inboundfigures, it is important tonote that a large part ofthe international figuresquoted concern visitors fromneighbouring countries –Brunei (1,296,017 visitors in2019), Indonesia (418,461 in2019), and the Philippines(63,238 in 2019). A numberof these visits may thushave been visits to familyand friends, or occasionalbusiness visits, rather than forleisure tourism. Unlike manyother countries, Sarawak’stourism infrastructure hasgone from almost zero in the1970s, to what it is today. In1972, total tourist numbersfor the entire state were54,223.An interesting market forSarawak today is Singapore(traditionally a major sourcemarket for all of Malaysia).From 2018-19, the numberof visitors from Singaporejumped by 7% from 43,734to 46,812. Australia, anothermajor source market forSarawak, saw growth of 3.9%in visitor numbers in the yearto 2019, with a total of 16,881inbound travellers.Over the past year, visitornumbers from key sourcemarkets in Europe, such asthe UK, France and Germanyremained relatively static,with a drop of around 4% inGerman visitors balancedout by a similar increase invisitors from France, while UKvisitors, which by far makeFROM2010 TO 2019,OVERALLINBOUNDTOURISTARRIVALSGREW BY 42%up the lion’s share of theEuropean market, remainedstable at 32,194 in 2019.As figures tend to vary countryby country from one year toanother, it is interesting tolook at broader trends overthe past (almost) decade.From 2010 to 2019, overallinbound tourist arrivals grewby 42%, primarily buoyedby a growth in domestictravellers visiting the state.Over that time, there hasalso been remarkable growthin Indian visitors – from16,533 to 26,791 – a rise of62%. Singaporean visitornumbers were up by 21%,Germans +11.45% and mostinterestingly, the biggestgrowth for a Europeancountry came from Francewith a rise of 64% over thenine years, from 3,856 in2010 to 6,325 in 2019. Forits part, South Korea saw thebiggest growth over the nineyears from 2010 to last year,up by 103% from 5,327 in2010 to 10,820 in 2019. Majorgrowth has also come fromTaiwan, up 47.7% to 10,004visitors from 2010 to 20194 SMART GUIDE www.sarawaktourism.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWDatuk Abdul KarimRahman HamzahMinister of Tourism, Arts and Culturecum Minister of Youth and Sport,SarawakWE AREBUILDINGCONNECTIVITYANDACCESSIBILITYFOR WHATREMAINS FORMANY A TRULYMYSTICALDESTINATIONTourism - an essential pillarof Sarawak’s economyExclusive interview: Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister ofTourism, Arts and Culture cum Minister of Youth and Sport, SarawakAccording to the “regional satellite account”of Sarawak 2018, tourism generated RM11bn(€2.43bn) – 7.5% of Sarawak’s gross domesticproduct. We asked Minister of Tourism, Arts,Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul KarimRahman Hamzah to tell us more.In 2018, 240,000 people wereemployed in Sarawak thanksto the tourism industry: 19.1%of Sarawak’s workforce.Our focus is on culture,adventure, nature, food &festivals (CANFF). This alsomeans tourist attractions arenot only focused on urbanareas but are extended tovillages and rural areas. Interms of road connectivity,two projects will be completedthis year, in the areas ofSibu and Kapit, opening upnew areas along the RejangRiver, where tourists will beable to explore the exquisitenature of these untouchedrural areas. Then there isthe Bintulu – Sungai Asap –Belaga link. Sungai Asap is anew settlement and Belaga isa big town in the area.How is tourism infrastructureevolving?Sarawak’s State governmentsupports the upgrading ofinfrastructure such as thePan Borneo Highway, CoastalHighway, museums andsports arenas. We are alsodedicated to the upgradingand development of theinternet in Sarawak to improveconnectivity for tourists,developing the Sarawak TravelApplication. We are continuingto build connectivity byseeking to attract new airlinesand routes into Sarawak’s keyairports.An unprecedented numberof new tourism projects areopening in the coming monthsand years. The 2 nd largestMuseum in Southeast Asiawill open in Kuching at the endof 2020. Then there are theSarawak Culture Museums,also in 2020; the PerformingArts Centre – to be completedwithin 2 years; the SantubongArchaeological and WildlifeCentre, the Beautificationof Pangkalan Sapi, theupgrading of waterfrontfacilities; construction of ariverside walkway from FortMargherita to the Darul-Hana Bridge; development ofmuseums in Limbang; Tusanbeach facilities; Sadong-Jaya mangrove tourism – asanctuary for birds to migratefrom Indo-China, with thegazetting of the area as aNational Park; at the NiahCave, there is extensiveupgrading of the walkway fromthe river to the cave, alongwith the addition of bungeetrack and trails; and finallyupgrading of Bako NationalPark and Semenggoh NatureReserve’s facilities.What if your “message” totravel professionals fromaround the world?Our tourism products arevery exotic for visitors fromEurope and also the MiddleEast, because most havenever seen “nature in the raw”such as what can be foundin Sarawak. We are buildingconnectivity and accessibilityfor what remains for many atruly mystical destination,with the focus on our “big five”- culture, adventure, nature,food & festivalswww.sarawaktourism.comSMART GUIDE 5
