KUCHING, Nov 23: The state of Sarawak located on Borneo, the third largest island in the world, is a destination for adventure and nature lovers and has so much to offer.
Listing out the uniqueness of Sarawak, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports permanent secretary Datu Ik Pahon Joyik told some 2,500 participants at the 13th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) that Sarawak is a premium tourism destination.
He said with its amazing national parks, lifestyles of different ethnic groups and as a haven for food lovers, Sarawak holds great promise as a premium destination for tourists through the consolidation and strengthening of its existing products and services.
“We must endeavour to conserve and practice sustainable management of our environment so Sarawak can become the last bastion of pristine environment in the world,” Ik Pahon said in his opening keynote address.
Only then the global audience will pay a high premium to experience this, he said, adding that the state will embark on developing exclusive thematic boutique accommodation such as those in Maldives .
Describing Borneo as “Wild Borneo”, “Land of Headhunters, and “Land of Paradise”, Ik Pahon said all these described by the early travelers and writers were all true as Borneo is still wild, but headhunting practices were already a thing of the past.
“The myths and mystery still remains — there are still hidden gems out there yet to be discovered and explored.”
Sarawak is home to the oldest tropical rainforest in the world and its secrets are still intact. The land is blessed and rich in ecosystems and biodiversity.
A UNESCO World Heritage site — Gunung Mulu National Park — is located in Sarawak.
There are several other national parks each possessing its own unique feature and content it terms of geosystems and wildlife such as Bako National Park, Semenggoh Wildlife Sanctuary (famous for its orang utan), Gunung Gading National Park (Rafflesia), and Niah Caves (famous archaeological site and where human remains dating back to 40,000 years ago were discovered).
“These are the premium offerings that Sarawak would like to share and for you to bring home and help us to promote,” he said. — DayakDaily
