KUCHING, Nov 28: The Sarawak Tourism Carnival held at Ayani Mall in Pontianak, Indonesia from Nov 25 to 27 was among Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) efforts to promote the State’s tourism products, especially medical tourism, to the Indonesian market.
According to a press release, visitors to the carnival were able to grab exciting tour packages offered by participating travel agents and travel operators for a vacation or a trip to various attractive tourism destinations across Sarawak.
STB chief executive officer (CEO) Sharzede Salleh Askor said as Sarawak and Pontianak are close neighbours, both regions have mutually enjoyed the benefits of border tourism.
“Through border tourism, both sectors in each nation have helped generate employment opportunities, enhance local economies, raise the standard of living of the local communities across borders and improve investment opportunities in new businesses in the region,” she said in a speech text read out by STB marketing director (Asean and Domestic) Barbara Benjamin Atan at the event.
West Kalimantan Governor H Sutarmidji visited the carnival and took part in the joint celebration of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Indonesia at Sarawak’s booth.
Sarawak’s participating tourism partners at the carnival include the Malaysian Health Travel Council (MHTC), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Borneo Medical Centre Kuching, Great Leap Tours Travel Sdn Bhd, Sdn Bhd, Khaimal Borneo Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, Al Fateh Worldwide Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, KPJ Kuching Specialist Hospital, Pullman Kuching & Pullman Miri Watefront, Normah Medical Specialist Centre, Timberland Medical Centre, Penview Hotel Kuching and Damai Beach Resort.
Sarawak is among increasingly popular destinations for health and wellness tourism for its affordable and high-quality health services offered by 13 established private medical institutions and hospitals in Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu, with over 53,000 people visiting the State to seek medical treatments from all over the Asean region before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With West Kalimantan and Sarawak’s close geographical proximity, STB together with MHTC and participating medical organisations are actively promoting Sarawak as an ideal location for those seeking to rehabilitate and heal throughout the carnival.
Among the activities held at the carnival were a poster design competition for primary and secondary school students; and a painting demonstration by Unimas lecturer Sylvester Wielding Jussem. – DayakDaily
