HEADING into 2020, Sarawak was on track to becoming one of the country’s premier tourism destinations.
This goal was steadily taking shape until the Covid-19 pandemic brought the global travel industry, including Sarawak’s, to a standstill.
When Covid-19 struck Sarawak in March 2020, the state government recognised the severity of the disease and faced a crucial decision: to halt operations across nearly all industries, except for essential sectors such as healthcare and medical services, food and supply chains, utilities and transport.
The Sarawak government was among the first to protect the public, implementing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all visitors arriving in the state.
Aside from that, public gatherings of 250 people or more were prohibited, and mask-wearing and social distancing measures were enforced.
The tourism industry was among the hardest hit, with events like the Rainforest World Music Festival, Spartan Race, Mukah Kaul Festival, and various government functions being delayed during the Covid-19 period.
Visitor arrivals to Sarawak during the pandemic were far lower than the targets set by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, due to the mandatory 14-day quarantine implemented by the state.
According to data published on the Ministry’s website, 2020 saw a total of 1.2 million tourists arrive in Sarawak, a drastic decline compared to 4.66 million in 2019.
Tourism receipts also saw a significant decline, with local news reporting that Sarawak lost an estimated RM8.69 billion in tourism receipts in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Despite the challenges faced by Sarawak during the first two years of the pandemic, it remained resilient throughout, with various initiatives introduced by the state and federal governments to support industry workers who were severely affected.
In this first part of the series, we take a brief look at the timeline of the Covid-19 pandemic in Sarawak and delve deeper into how it affected the tourism industry, featuring testimonies from various industry workers.
BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE PANDEMIC
Sarawak recorded its first Covid-19 cases on March 13, 2020, with two linked to the ‘tabligh’ gathering at Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.
By March 16, infections surged to 34, prompting swift action from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
Just a day later, Sarawak recorded its first Covid-19 fatality: a 60-year-old pastor from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Kuching, who became the first Covid-19 death in Malaysia.
The state government quickly moved to impose tighter restrictions, including the closure of all kindergartens, ‘tahfiz’ schools, and religious gatherings, as well as mandatory home quarantine for inbound travellers.
According to local media, the federal government’s Movement Control Order (MCO), which came into effect on March 18, was enforced rigorously across the state.
In the weeks that followed, Sarawak recorded hundreds of new infections, many linked to emerging clusters in Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman.
However, by May 4, 2020, Sarawak reported zero new Covid-19 cases for the first time since the crisis began, a milestone that reflected the state’s strict border controls, contact tracing efforts, and public cooperation.
As Malaysia gradually eased restrictions under the Conditional MCO (CMCO), Sarawak continued to record sporadic imported cases, particularly in late August and September 2020.
In response, the state introduced inter-zone travel restrictions between districts like Kuching, Sibu, and Miri to curb community spread.
By December, Sarawak joined the rest of the nation in cautiously reopening spas, wellness centres, and food outlets, albeit under strict standard operating procedures (SOPs).
That same month, the detection of the ‘A701B’ virus strain highlighted the evolving threat of the pandemic.
When the federal government declared a state of emergency in January 2021, Sarawak aligned its efforts, extending the emergency to delay its state election.
At the time, the state was grappling with fresh clusters in longhouses and workplace sites, particularly in rural areas.
By April 2021, Sarawak recorded its highest daily case count, surpassing 400 new infections in a single day.
The spike was largely attributed to the Semuja Immigration Depot cluster in Serian, leading to another round of targeted lockdowns, curfews, and restrictions on business hours, particularly in high-risk zones.
Amid the surge, the state accelerated its vaccination programme. By late July, over half of Sarawak’s eligible population had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The rollout, coordinated by the SDMC in collaboration with the Health Department and local authorities, included fixed vaccination centres and mobile outreach to remote communities.
In July 2021, the Delta variant was confirmed in several districts, raising new alarms. However, by October, interdistrict travel was permitted again, and dining-in was allowed for fully vaccinated individuals, reflecting the improving situation.
The success of the vaccination programme became evident as cases began to stabilise in early 2022. By 2023, the World Health Organisation declared that Covid-19 was no longer a global public health emergency.
In Sarawak, Covid-related deaths fell significantly from 167 in 2022 to just nine in 2023. Health officials credited this decline to widespread vaccination, effective contact tracing, and sustained public health awareness.
Today, Sarawak stands as a testament to coordinated crisis management and community cooperation in the face of adversity. While the scars of the pandemic remain, the state has emerged stronger, more prepared, and united in its resolve to protect public health.
As Sarawak looks ahead, the lessons from Covid-19 continue to shape its policies, not only in healthcare but also in digital preparedness, education, and crisis response frameworks.
CHALLENGING FIRST TWO YEARS FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
For the tourism industry in Sarawak, the first two years of Covid-19 were among the most challenging.
In October 2020, Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that the total losses faced by the industry at the time amounted to RM308 million.
Abdul Karim highlighted that among the affected sectors were travel and tour agencies, which incurred losses of RM108 million.
In an exclusive interview with Sarawak Tribune that same month, he revealed that Covid-19 had impacted 17,288 employees, including 216 licensed travel agents.
“Tourist guides or national park tour guides have suffered a loss of RM15 million, and there are 277 licensed tour guides here,” he said.
He added that the hotel sector had experienced a loss of RM60 million, affecting 6,889 workers and 22,061 hotel rooms.
Another industry impacted by the pandemic was the food and beverage (F&B) sector, closely related to tourism.
When restaurants were closed and with the SOPs in place, the result was a loss of RM82 million, he said.
Meanwhile, during his Budget 2021 speech in November 2020, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg noted that the decline in tourism had spilled over to other service sectors, particularly affecting the transport and logistics, hotel and accommodation, wholesale and retail trade, and food and beverage industries.
“For the first nine months of 2020, visitor arrivals contracted by 64.1 per cent due to travel restrictions and the closure of international borders. The service sector is expected to register negative growth of 1.4 per cent in 2020. We anticipate that the tourism industry will take some time to fully recover,” he said.
Throughout the first half of 2021, visitor arrivals in Sarawak dropped by 93.26 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting said that between January and June 2021, Sarawak registered 64,767 incoming visitors.
Ting stated that the drop in visitor arrivals in Sarawak from 4.6 million in 2019 to 1.2 million in 2020 was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, representing a year-on-year decline of 74 per cent.
“Tourism receipts declined by 75 per cent from 2019, falling to just RM2.88 billion in 2020, which resulted in an estimated total loss of RM8.69 billion compared to 2019,” he said in 2021.
EXPERIENCE FROM THE INDUSTRY WORKERS
Throughout the first two years of the pandemic, workers in the tourism industry were severely affected by the MCO, which led to widespread job losses, income reductions, and business closures across the sector.
Some resorted to part-time jobs to sustain their income, given the circumstances at the time.
Danny Voon, who had been working as a tour guide for more than eight years, revealed that it was a difficult time for him, stating that he had to find other ways to make a living.
“It was a difficult time for us. We found out that some travel agencies had to shut down due to the pandemic, while others had to pivot their businesses just to survive.
“We, the tour guides, had to find other ways to make a living. For instance, I worked part-time as a GrabCar driver. It was more convenient and helped me survive the difficult period,” he said.
Azhar Nor Mostapha Nor, who has been in the tourism industry for 19 years, said the pandemic severely disrupted tourism-related businesses and the livelihoods of tourist guides in Sarawak, as all tourism activities were brought to a standstill.
“Most of those affected, especially the freelance tourist guides, completely lost all sources of income from tourism-related activities,’ he said.
When the MCO was implemented, Azhar’s initial thought was that it would be a temporary measure to curb Covid-19.
“The order caused serious concern among the tourist guide community. At the beginning, we hoped it would be a temporary measure, as we had endured similar incidents before, like SARS, Avian Flu (H5N1), and Swine Flu (H1N1), and we came through unscathed.
“Somehow, we were wrong about that,” he added.
Meanwhile, tour guide Norlin Mohd Salleh, who has been working as a tour guide for more than four decades, said the pandemic had a significant impact on her work.
“Practically overnight, all bookings were cancelled. With borders closed and travel restrictions in place, there were no tourists, and that meant no income. It was a very difficult time for many of us in the tourism sector.
“When the MCO was implemented, at first, I thought it would just be for a short while – maybe a few weeks or a month.
“But as time went on and the situation worsened, I realised it was going to be a long-term disruption. It was quite a shock, and I started to worry about how long we could sustain ourselves without any work,” she said.
Aside from losing income due to the pandemic, Azhar said there was little adaptation within the tourism industry during the MCO.
“Since there were no tourists, we had no jobs.
“Only in the later stages, when the MCO was lifted, were we able to host virtual tours, but this was limited to those who were tech-savvy.
“Others went back to their villages to do ‘kerja kampung’ or went to work in other industries,” he said.
Voon, on the other hand, said that during the MCO, tour guides could not do much, as guiding tours were not allowed throughout the period.
“We could still promote Sarawak and our services online, but we could not meet people or lead tours in person,” he said.
Norlin, meanwhile, said that during the MCO, she took the time to upskill herself through online courses related to tourism and culture.
“I also stayed in touch with other guides and industry friends to share updates and support one another.
“Though guiding tours wasn’t possible, staying connected helped me stay hopeful and ready to bounce back when the time came,” she added.
LOOKING AHEAD
As Sarawak repositions itself in the post-pandemic world, the lessons from Covid-19 remain etched in the state’s collective memory, particularly in its tourism sector.
The scars are still there, but so too is a new sense of resilience, innovation and preparedness.
