KUCHING, 6th December 2022 – Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is fully embracing the digitalisation of the tourism sector by unveiling the new and improved Sarawak Travel Portal and App in promoting tourist attractions and tourism products across the state.
The digital platform is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts (MTCP), Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), STB and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to provide a next-generation website and a smart device application to provide an added-value experience for travellers to Sarawak,
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts Datuk Seri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said creating a quality end-to-end experience for tourists was important to improve travellers’ engagement with Sarawak.
“We are going to the next evolution in promoting Sarawak and its tourism products, and that is the merging of the Sarawak Tourism website with the Sarawak Travel Portal and App to create a seamless online experience for prospective travellers,” he said.
“Now as the improved Travel Portal and App is equipped with cutting edge technologies such as the Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) components, users get total control over what they can see of Sarawak’s Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festival (CANFF) offerings and experience Sarawak through a 360 view,” he added.
Since it was first launched in February 2020, the Sarawak Travel Portal and App have received continuous development and upgrades which include four new content modules, namely Scenic Sites, National Parks and Nature Reserves, Food Trails and an interactive game module.
With a total of five modules, the upgraded website and app offer fun and engaging digital solutions for visitors who want to stay in Sarawak, with Module 1 – 4 allowing users to take virtual tours of Sarawak’s Tourism destination in with detailed information of Old Kuching Heritage Sites, Scenic Sites, National Parks and Food Trails that feature 3D models of iconic products such as Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), Mulu National Park and many more.
Through GPS technology, users get to try out Module 5 that has a geo-location game feature as a fun way to visit various Sarawak Tourism attractions, such as the Kuching Waterfront, Chinese History Museum or Brooke Gallery, while accepting challenges from the game and collecting badges to unlock various achievements.
Another featured highlight about the Sarawak Travel App is its Geofencing capabilities to inform users not only on what tourist attractions that are nearby to them, but also able to digitally emulate a physical tour guide by giving background info and the significance of the attraction and products; and also give directions on how to get there.
The Sarawak Travel Portal and App is now available for download on Google Play Store and Apple Store.
The Sarawak Government continues its digital initiatives for the tourism sector by launching the “Sarawak Road Trip: Self Drive Travel Guide” on 3rd December 2022 in Kuching and on the 10th December 2022 in Miri that allows visitors travelling by road to download the specified Google Map route into their smartphone via a QR code for easy navigation from one tourist attraction to another.
According to a recent data by Statista, there will be an estimated 1.7 billion mobile augmented reality (AR) user devices worldwide in 2024, an increase of 1.5 billion from the 200 million seen in 2015.
YB Dato Sri Hj Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah launching the updated Sarawak Travel Portal and App. With him are (L-R) STB CEO Sharzede Datu Hj. Salleh Askor, STB Chairman YB Dennis Ngau, MTCP Permanent Secretary Datu Hii Chang Kee, UNIMAS Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Prof, Dr. Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim and SMA rep (Administrative Officer, Digital Economy Project Planning Unit) Tarmit Kaur Mewa Singh.