KUCHING: The number of tourist arrivals to Sarawak is expected to reach about 3.8 million to 4 million by end of this year, said Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting.
He said the arrivals could increase to such numbers because until last September, there were about 3 million visitors coming to the state.
“When we started in January 2023, we targeted about 3 million visitors and by August this year, we already touched 2.6 million. So, by September we believe there were almost 3 million visitors.
“So now we have to relook and feel that these three months (October until December), the figures will be more and hopefully it may touch 3.8 million until 4 million by end of this year,” he said.
He told this to reporters after officiating at the opening ceremony of MATTA Fair Sarawak 2023 at AEON Mall Kuching Central here yesterday.
He also said that that he is optimistic that the new target can be achieved considering that in October, November and December there are many interesting events and programmes organised throughout the state.
“If the target figure can be achieved, Sarawak could record the number of tourists that are almost the same figure before the COVID-19 pandemic, which was 4.66 million arrivals in 2019.
“This is a very encouraging development, similar to the expectation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that the tourism sector will increase by 90 per cent after the pandemic,” he added.
Meanwhile, during his speech, he said that the MATTA Sarawak Fair is a testament to Sarawak’s resilience and is very much aligned with the state’s post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 to provide global exposure and endless business opportunities in this exciting era of groundbreaking travel innovations and technological advancements.
“This event is undoubtedly a high-impact platform to securing investment opportunities for industry players while showcasing the best travel deals to the general public.
“Over the years, the MATTA Sarawak Fair has consistently proven that it is contributing to the increased growth and prosperity of Malaysia and ultimately the global travel and tour industry,” he said.
Chairman of MATTA Sarawak Chapter, Oscar Choo said the fair targets a total of 12,000 visitors with a targeted sales of over RM3 million in the two-day event.
“MATTA is committed to make this event a great success in line with our role as a catalyst to steer the momentum of growth in the hospitality and tourism industry in Malaysia and to assist the government’s vision to create more job opportunities, expand market reach and generate more tourist arrivals,” he said.
The two-day exhibition which ends today (Oct 8) offers domestic and international travel packages featuring 46 unique entries from various agencies, airlines and tour operators.
