KUCHING, April 5: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is participating in ITB India, a three-day annual business-to-business trade show, as part of its efforts to increase its visibility in the Indian and South Asian markets.
STB, along with local travel and tour operators from Sarawak’s southern, central, and northern regions, will virtually network with traders at the Sarawak stand, which was housed in Imperial Hotel in Kuching starting today until April 7.
ITB India Virtual brings together key travel industry leaders and international exhibitors from the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions), Leisure, Corporate, and Travel Technology segments.
The B2B virtual event connects the Indian and South Asian travel markets by providing three full days of virtual business meetings and a digital conference programme.
According to STB chief executive officer (CEO) Sharzede Salleh Askor in a statement, Indian tourist arrivals to Malaysia showed a positive trend with a 15 per cent pre-pandemic growth rate in 2019.
She revealed that India ranked fifth in terms of visitor arrivals in Sarawak, emphasising the importance of tapping into the Indian market.
She also mentioned that projections show that of the 21 million Indians who travel abroad, more than a quarter of these travellers are on vacation.
“The profiling of the India market has also revealed that the younger generations are looking for destinations that offer exciting adventures, unique culture, and less crowded tourism sites.
“Sarawak, with its vast geographical landscape spanning over 120,000 square kilometres and low population density, appears to have fulfilled their requirements for an ideal holiday destination,” Sharzede added.
STB noted in its statement that international visitors to Sarawak will no longer need to apply through enterSarawak or fill out the e-health declaration form as of April 1st, 2022, but will instead need to download the MySejahtera app, fill out the pre-departure form under the ‘Traveller’ icon, and meet all other requirements.
It continued by stating that additional information on the latest standard operating procedures (SOPs) may be downloaded from the official website of the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) at https://sdmc.sarawak.gov.my/.
“Meanwhile, India has relaxed travel restrictions for Malaysian visitors, and no arrivals will be quarantined.
“According to the High Commission of India in Malaysia, international passengers are instead asked to self-monitor their health for 14 days after their arrival.
“For the most up-to-date information on international travel to India, visit https://mohfw.gov.in,” STB said.
To learn more about Sarawak, visit STB’s website at https://sarawaktourism.com. — DayakDaily
