KUCHING 12 January 2023 – ‘Sarawak A Journey Awaits’ Business Networking Session (B2B) was the first B2B event of this year organised by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) with 18 agents from MATTA Perak Chapter and 2 representatives from Firefly together with Sarawak industry partners.
This year’s B2B first ever session coincided with the MATTA Perak Chapter’s Familiarisation Trip to Kuching from 8th to 10th January 2023 to further expose visitors to Sarawak unique products including the biggest museum in Malaysia - the Borneo Cultures Museum, Sarawak River Cruise trip, Semadang Kayaking, trip to Bau for Paku Maze Garden and to the charming town of Siniawan.
STB Deputy CEO, Suriya Charles Buas said, “The business networking session today represented an opportunity to come together and exchange ideas on how to promote Sarawak as a unique eco-tourism destination to neighbouring states in West Malaysia. With the tourism sector’s recovery get underway, STB will focus on conversion and growth from the domestic market.”
Domestic visitor arrivals to Sarawak ranked first on the list with more than one million arrivals recorded from the period of January to December 2022. This marked a significant 662.03% growth from the same time period in 2021 kicking off a good target for 2023 for overall target of three million arrivals.
Sarawak offers wide variety to West Malaysian visitors, even more so now with the surge of demand for eco-tourism products after the pandemic. Sarawak holds a lot of potential in offering green travel to the market with priceless flora and fauna endemic to Borneo, majestic waterfalls, captivating caves and mouth-watering food.
The five pillars of Sarawak’s tourism - Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (known as CANFF) continue to be the main draw for Sarawak. The diversity in ethnicities and culture in Sarawak resulted in a palate of local delicacies merged with international flavours, producing unique food that can only be found in Sarawak. Kuching was also the first city in Malaysia to be named ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ by UNESCO.
Collaborations between Kuching Sarawak and Ipoh, Perak would potentially increase Sarawak’s visibility and product awareness for travel partners in Perak to stay connected with potential markets as we “Come back Stronger” and move beyond the pandemic
MATTA Perak Chapter’s Familiarisation Trip to Kuching from 8th to 10th January 2023
Sarawak A Journey Awaits’ Business Networking Session (B2B) with agents from MATTA Perak Chapter, Sarawak Travel Agencies and Hotels and Sarawak Tourism Board
STB DCEO, Suriya Charles Buas giving his speech during the B2B Session.