KUCHING: The Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) must move beyond decades of discussions and adopt more practical mechanisms, including setting up regional offices modelled after Sarawak’s Trade and Tourism Office (STATOS).
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the sub-regional grouping, established in 1994, still has significant untapped potential despite numerous meetings and initiatives undertaken over the years.
“If from 1994 until now, there is no office yet, think about how to set up a regional office in Davao City and in other areas.
“STATOS is fast, it explodes faster. BIMP-EAGA has been around for a long time, but we haven’t seen it yet.
“Meeting after meeting. We have to see where we can develop our side,” he told reporters after officiating the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Exchange 2026 at the Waterfront Hotel here today.
Abdul Karim said Sarawak’s experience with STATOS demonstrated the benefits of having dedicated offices to promote trade and tourism cooperation.
He noted that since the establishment of STATOS in Singapore, Sarawak had seen a significant increase in exports to the republic.
“We have set up another one in Brunei, and the next one that is going to come up soon will be in Pontianak.
“That’s why sometimes I feel BIMP-EAGA should also see and study how STATOS grows up,” he said.
Sarawak is currently chairing the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Cluster for the 2025-2027 term and is hosting the 22nd Tourism Cluster Meeting on June 24 and 25.
The minister said the meeting would deliberate on strategic priorities and collective initiatives aimed at enhancing regional tourism competitiveness, improving connectivity, promoting sustainable tourism development, and accelerating digital transformation within the BIMP-EAGA region.
Among the key agendas are strengthening cross-border tourism collaboration, enhancing destination readiness, promoting sustainable and community-based tourism, improving regional connectivity, and exploring innovative approaches to tourism development.
Abdul Karim also highlighted the enormous tourism potential within the BIMP-EAGA region itself, which has a combined population of more than 450 million people.
“We don’t need to go far to find tourists from Europe and so on. Just within the region alone, it can sustain itself,” he said.
He said the BIMP-EAGA region’s population of more than 450 million presents a vast untapped market for intra-regional tourism and economic cooperation, underscoring the importance of neighbouring economies supporting one another.
“Prosper your neighbour. Your neighbour gets prosperous, they will come back to you, you go to them. We help each other,” he said.
