By Christopher Lidom
KUCHING, July 25: The Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) will start charging entrance fees next month, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Abdul Karim, who is Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, said the Sarawak government had approved the entrance fee charges.
According to him, since it has been open to the public from March 9 this year, BCM has managed to attract 350,000 local and international visitors.
“Sarawak Museum Department will start charging entrance fees to BCM, including fees for the use of its auditoriums, multi-purpose rooms, temporary exhibition rooms, and other facilities,” he told reporters during a press conference held at BCM today.
He said the reason to do so is to cover part of the museum’s maintenance costs.
“In addition, it also helps to increase visitors’ appreciation of the history, culture, and heritage of Sarawak displayed in the BCM,” he added.
Meanwhile, when asked by reporters regarding the status of the Sarawak Museum, Abdul Karim said it would be open to the public in two years.
He explained the renovation and preservation works on the Sarawak Museum building have been completed; they just need to transfer the contents to the museum.
“For a museum, there must be a story or a write-up for everything in it. It (displayed items) also must be inside a display cabinet at a specific temperature.
“The old Sarawak Museum will be displaying a lot of specimens involving fossils, bones, and many others,” he said. — DayakDaily
