By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Feb 19: The flight from Kuching to Berlin ferrying German President Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier is historic because it is the first direct flight from Kuching to Germany, says Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Abdul Karim told reporters this following a walkabout and press conference for the Creative Unique (CU) Sarawak 2023 event, which was held today at Padang Merdeka here.
“Yesterday’s flight from here to Berlin was the first direct flight from Kuching to Germany. And that direct flight is taken by the President himself. It’s a historic moment,” he said.
He pointed out that Europe is one of the markets that Sarawak hopes to tap into and attract more tourists from.
“We always market to Germany because among the European countries, Germans are much more well off and are familiar with Sarawak, and I’ll be attending the ITB Berlin, Berlin’s second largest tourism market, in two weeks.
“It’s part of the Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) marketing strategy, and it’s where we have our own pavilion.
“Normally, we join with the Malaysian pavilion, but this year will be the first time we have our own pavilion to showcase Sarawak, and we hope that this marketing strategy will bring in more German tourists to Sarawak,” he added.
Furthermore, Abdul Karim expressed hope that the German President’s perception of Sarawak will change, noting that Steinmeier, a nature lover, was thrilled to visit three iconic tourism sites in Sarawak during yesterday’s one-day working visit.
“After our visit to the Kuching Wetlands National Park, I asked the German President if he was satisfied with his visit, and he said it was exactly what they wanted to see.
“The German president was very happy, and I was led to believe that he is very much a ‘green’ person and loves nature. And we hope that his perception of Sarawak, Malaysia, will change,” he stated.
He also opined that being able to directly feed the orangutans must have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Steinmeier.
“After the Kuching Wetlands National Park, we went to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, where the German President was able to directly feed the orangutans, which must have been a very good experience for a westerner.
“They’ve heard so much about orangutans, and being able to feed food to the orangutan would have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him, and I’m sure he was very excited about it,” he remarked.
Additionally, Abdul Karim, who is also the Sarawak Minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED), highlighted that Steinmeier’s visit to Kuching will strengthen ties between Germany and Sarawak. — DayakDaily
