By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 18: The Sarawak Gastronomy Centre at the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) has now reached about 80 per cent progress and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
According to Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan, some interior work and the building approval process are still in the final stages.
“The centre uses its own design that is adapted to the needs and identity of Sarawak, instead of being adapted from foreign countries,” he said at the officiation ceremony of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Youth Symposium 2026 in conjunction with the Fourth Forum on Education in Hospitality and Tourism 2026 at a hotel here on Monday (Aug 17).
Additionally, he said gastronomy and culinary arts have strong potential to strengthen Sarawak tourism by combining food, culture, and creativity.
He said the creative economy, with a global market value of nearly US$3 trillion, offers ample space for Sarawak to strengthen the sector as a driver of economic growth, especially through youth involvement.
Snowdan added that Sarawak has strong potential across 19 categories of creative industries, including gastronomy, handicrafts, media, fashion, design, and other creative fields.
“The creative industry is not only about gastronomy and culinary arts, but also includes handicrafts, media, fashion, design, and much more.
“In Sarawak, we have 19 categories under the creative industry, which is a very broad and large market,” he said in a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report.
He said developing the creative economy requires cooperation among the government, academic institutions, industry players, and the community to strengthen talent, innovation, and economic growth.
“The creative industry and the tourism sector are not only about jobs, but also about entrepreneurship, innovation and value creation,” he added.
He explained that youth must see the creative industry as a space to develop entrepreneurship and innovation, while also exploring opportunities in tourism and hospitality. — DayakDaily
