By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 7: Sarawak has intensified its international marketing efforts ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) campaign by engaging the Oceania travel trade across six major cities in Australia and New Zealand through the Total Holiday Options (THO) Mega Roadshow 2026.
The trade-only B2B roadshow, held from Jan 27 to Feb 5, covered Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, allowing Sarawak to engage directly with key travel agents and tour operators responsible for long-haul itinerary planning.
The initiative comes as Malaysia targets 43 million visitor arrivals under VMY2026, with Sarawak positioning itself to capture stronger interest from long-haul markets through sustained trade engagement and improved destination awareness.
Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), in a press release, said the Oceania market continues to show steady potential, recording a 9.3 per cent increase in visitor arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2025. Australia also ranked among Sarawak’s Top 10 source markets last year.
“For long-haul markets such as Australia and New Zealand, destination awareness alone is not enough. Confidence drives conversion, and confidence comes from direct engagement with the trade,” said STB chief executive officer Dr Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor.
She further said Sarawak’s participation in the roadshow reflects the State’s commitment to accurate destination positioning and to offering well-curated and responsible travel experiences in line with the VMY2026 campaign.
Through the roadshow, Sarawak is promoting itself as a strong addition to multi-city and twin-city itineraries, with connectivity via regional gateways such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bandar Seri Begawan and Jakarta, supporting longer stays and higher-value travel.
STB also held coordination meetings with the Tourism Malaysia Office in Sydney and the High Commission of Malaysia in Wellington to explore collaborative initiatives, including trade campaigns, tactical promotions, travel agent training and media familiarisation programmes.
According to STB, Sarawak’s presence in Oceania reflects a deliberate strategy to strengthen its position in high-value long-haul markets and ensure the destination remains visible and competitively positioned within Southeast Asia’s tourism landscape.
By engaging directly with the trade across two countries and six key cities, Sarawak aims to convert awareness into bookings and position itself as a destination of choice for travellers seeking culture-, nature- and sustainability-based experiences in Malaysia. — DayakDaily
