By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 27: Sarawak’s tourism receipts registered an increase of 24.73 per cent in 2024, reaching RM12.45 billion compared to RM9.99 billion in 2023, with RM4.07 billion recorded from January to April this year.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak’s visitor arrivals reached 4.83 million in 2024 which represents a substantial 23 per cent growth over 2023 arrivals but also surpasses pre-pandemic levels of 2019 by 3.63 per cent.
He explained that services sector, comprising sub-sectors like tourism, utilities, transportation, information and communication, finance and insurance, real estate, and business services, is the major contributor to Sarawak’s gross domestic product.
“In 2024, services sector contributed RM58.21 billion or 39 per cent of the economy compared to RM54.54 billion in 2023. Out of this, the tourism sector’s contribution to the services sector is 21 per cent,” said Abdul Karim when delivering his ministerial winding up speech during Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting here today.
He said major events and festivals act as significant catalysts for the tourism sector, generating substantial economic, social, and cultural impacts on host destinations. Whether they are sporting competitions, cultural festivals, music concerts, or trade shows, they draw large number of attendees, many of whom travel from outside the host region.
“Sarawak’s tourism sector is experiencing remarkable growth, driven by its tourism products and successful promotion. My Ministry is committed in achieving our vision for Sarawak to be one of the premier tourism destinations and a showcase of unique arts, culture, and heritage.
“Our mission is to lead the advancement of Sarawak’s tourism, culture, and heritage sectors,” said Abdul Karim.
ASEAN, he said, has been Sarawak’s key tourism market with Brunei Darussalam contributed the largest share of visitor arrivals to Sarawak in 2024 accounting for 39.1 per cent or 1,891,314 visitors, followed by Indonesia with 653,883 visitors or 13.5 per cent.
Singapore and The Philippines contributed 1.2 per cent with 59,793 tourists and per cent per cent with 46,853 respectively. China becomes a significant contributor with 1.5 per cent or 74,721 visitors.
From January to April 2025, Sarawak continues to receive large number of visitors from Brunei Darussalam (514,015) and Indonesia (236,054), China (24,865), Singapore (18,637) and The Philippines (14,482). These five countries remain as the top five contributors to Sarawak’s tourism.
“With more than 1.6 million visitor arrivals recorded between January and April this year, we are on track to achieve our 5 million visitor targets and to generate RM12.73 billion estimated tourism receipts for 2025,” said Abdul Karim. — DayakDaily
