By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Feb 20: Kuching Taxi Association has joined the Visit Sarawak Campaign by placing stickers with a QR code that provides instant and online information to connect travellers and visitors to Sarawak once they set foot here after getting off from the plane.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth, and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah today officiated at the launching and flag-off of the Visit Sarawak Campaign Car Stickers event at the taxi stand of Plaza Merdeka here.
“The stickers will also be distributed to all taxi owners across Sarawak, including Sibu, Miri and Bintulu,” he told reporters.
The sticker campaign aims to bring better visibility of the Visit Sarawak Year 2019 and offer visitors the opportunity to instantly download additional information upon arrival at Kuching and other destinations in Sarawak.
As the frontliners, Abdul Karim noted that taxi drivers were representatives of the state and ambassadors at large who would share with visitors warm Sarawakian hospitality first-hand, in striking up conversations, and in providing information about the destination.
“We encourage our taxi drivers to be good, friendly hosts to our visitors and tourists, receiving them with politeness and courtesy so they could set their journey off on the right footing to make them feel welcome in Sarawak and to leave with the best impression.”
He is delighted with the support given by the taxi associations in Kuching, namely Gabungan Pemilik Teksi Kuching Berhad, Persatuan Teksi Bumi Kenyalang Kuching, Persatuan Teksi Bumiputra Kuching, Taxi Owner Association, and Kuching Division Taxi Association in encouraging their members to support this campaign.
Other promotional and marketing strategies being implemented to push the Sarawak Brand into the limelight to achieve the target of five million arrivals by end of the year include massive electronic LED panels and billboards in Peninsular Malaysia and liveries on planes that fly in the South East Asian region.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer (CEO) Sharzede Salleh Askor revealed expectations to see some 2,000 taxis emblazoned with the stickers here.
“Your close association in the promotion of tourism in your work is greatly appreciated and has gone a long way all these years. We are here today to enable us to understand better your role and how we could enhance your contributions toward the promotion of tourism,” she highlighted.
The QR code, she pointed out, would be the main source of information for those visiting Sarawak as it instantly shares Sarawak’s different ‘Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festival’ attractions.
“Many who enter Sarawak know just enough to plan their visit, but we believe that on arriving, there is more to know and yet to be discovered. There is more to discover in Sarawak than meets the eye, and we want to lead the curiosity of our visitors to look deeper into what Kuching has to offer and experience it for themselves.
“The purpose of these stickers is to help visitors and tourists discover these hidden aspects of Sarawak through the QR code,” she added.
Earlier, Abdul Karim held a dialogue session with taxi drivers to hear the plights and challenges facing the taxi service industry here as well as on how to cooperate to boost their role in assisting the state’s tourism industry.
STB chairman Datuk Abdul Wahap Aziz and STB Board of Directors member Ibrahim Nordin were among those present. — DayakDaily
