KUCHING, April 27: Sarawak Trade And Tourism Office Brunei (Statob) is expected to be operational by the end of the year, says Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
Tengah said the office is still under renovation and once ready it would play a vital role in trading activities between Brunei and Sarawak.
“The office would be a good economic and trading platform between Brunei and Sarawak, to further expand their tourism industry.
“I visited the office. We want to have a bigger space, and thus it needs to occupy two floors to have an exhibition hall. It is needed not only for tourism but as a trade information centre.
He told reporters after officiating the 30th anniversary of Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam Malaysia (PERKIM) Lawas Branch at Lawas Indoor Stadium on Tuesday (April 25).
Awang Tengah also disclosed that Brunei and Sabah have agreed to work with Sarawak to promote the region as a tourist destination.
“We agreed to promote Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah. At the moment we are thinking about how to utilise facilities such as the use of airlines from Brunei.
“Brunei has many flights and wider routes. If we could work with the country, it could be the international hub and a gateway for flights to beautiful places like Bario, Ba’kelalan and other destinations.”
Awang Tengah opined that in view of such a move, it is good to plan for Lawas to have a new airport.
“So visitors arriving in Brunei can travel to Sarawak either by air or land. We have many tourists and attractive destinations in term of nature, culture and adventure,” he said.
Also present were Tengah’s wife, who is also the chairwoman of PERKIM Lawas, Datuk Dayang Morliah Awang Daud, Lawas Member of Parliament Dato Henry Sum Agong and the political secretary in the Sarawak Premier Office Awangku Jinal Abedin Dato Pengiran Jawa. — DayakDaily
