KUCHING, Sept 1: The Sarawak government has reiterated its commitment to protect Sarawak through furthering the goals of responsible and sustainable tourism with the aim to make Sarawak the leading destination for eco-tourism and business events in the Asean region by 2030.
Premier of Sarawak Dautuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg emphasised that Sarawak’s tourism development has been grounded on the pledge that it would be carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner.
“The Sarawak government has launched its Post-Covid-19 Development Strategies (PCDS) 2030 and the tourism sector has been identified as one of the most important economic pillars.
“The Sarawak’s aspiration by 2030 is to make Sarawak a leading destination for ecotourism and business events in the Asean region, driven by empowered communities to conserve heritage, culture and biodiversity as well as to promote investment and development through responsible action,” he said in his speech text read by Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah today.
Abang Johari highlighted this when addressing the opening of the International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) 2022 at UCSI Hotel here today.
As such, he said that the ICRTH 2022 demonstrates Sarawak’s strong intention to join the global tourism community in advocating sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a local context and taking collective actions to future-proof tourism for generations to come.
“It is a significant step forward for the government and tourism stakeholders in Sarawak to realise the objectives of responsible and sustainable tourism.
“ICRTH was first organised in May 2021 when we were still in the midst of the pandemic. It also culminated in the declaration of Sarawak’s commitment to responsible tourism.
“As such, ICRTH is not a one-off event for excitement and achievement but it is our affirmative response towards sustaining and regenerating tourism through responsible tourism initiatives,” he explained. — DayakDaily
