KUCHING, March 5: Visitors to Sarawak and locals will soon have information about historical monuments, buildings and sites in Sarawak at their fingertips thanks to the new Sarawak Museum App for mobile phones which is expected to be released for download soon.
Revealing this, Assistant Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting said the mobile will have all the details and guides for these historical landmarks.
Explaining further, Ting said the Sarawak government will look into various strategies and initiatives to boost the domestic tourism industry and one of them is to invest in digital tourism.
“We want to promote Sarawak as a must-visit destination in Malaysia, by offering memorable experiences for a multitude of different types of visitors and travellers, and encourage return visits.
“In short, digital tourism is all about enhancing and improving travellers’ experience and securing their interest. Digital tourism also opens doors of opportunities for entrepreneurs to promote their goods and services to a broader audience and increases their business prospects,” he said at the launch of ‘The Return of Niah Skeletal Collections — Long Journey Home’ here today.
As Sarawak heads toward developed nation status, Ting said the state government is pushing towards attaining digital economy status because they are aware that it is a strong driver of globalisation and brings great potential for revenue growth.
At the same time, Sarawak is home to some of the the world’s most important heritage sites and monuments.
These features are deemed important to the state tourism industry which promotes Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF).
“We are keen on introducing these historical places, often located in the remote areas, to make them better known to the outside world.
That is why the Sarawak government is upgrading and providing necessary physical and digital infrastructures at our tourist destinations in order to accommodate the needs of our visitors,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ting added that the state government acknowledged that Niah Cave and other identified archaeological sites across Sarawak are of great importance.
“The state government is working towards listing Niah Cave as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This invaluable historical and cultural heritage tells us about past human activities and thus, also reflect a nation’s civilisation. Therefore, the protection and preservation of these heritage assets are a priority and Sarawak is committed to this,” Ting asserted. — DayakDaily
