KUCHING: The Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts is prepared to assist event organisers with funding to ease cost burdens, particularly for events with the potential to attract visitors to the State.
Its Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said such support is important in reviving the tourism and local arts industry while also providing returns to artistes, musicians and local organisers.
“We are prepared to provide funding to help ease the burden of organisers. I don’t think there is any other state in Malaysia that has such funds to support the development of the tourism and arts industry,” he said.
He said this at a press conference for the Samurai Phenomenon Concert (Epic Collaboration of Search and XPDC) Live at Sky Lounge, Astana Wing, Riverside Majestic Hotel here today.
Abdul Karim noted that in terms of concerts and festivals, Sarawak has now emerged as one of the most active states with various international-level events.
This includes the Rainforest World Music Festival, Kuching Jazz Festival, and the recently held Siniawan Country Music Festival (SCMF), which he described as the largest country music festival in Asia.
“Tens of thousands of people attended SCMF because the genre resonates strongly with local communities, including the Bidayuh and Orang Ulu.
“In fact, just this year alone, we started with the Boney M Concert in January, and similar events will continue through to next year,” he said.
Abdul Karim explained that beyond music events, Sarawak is also focusing on medical tourism, sports tourism, and international-scale events, including the 2027 SEA Games in Kuching and the Asian International Film Festival at the end of this year.
He said the hosting of these events will bring significant returns to the state and further strengthen Sarawak’s position as a premier tourism destination in the region.
At the same time, Abdul Karim projected that over 300 tourism products will be held in the state this year, covering concerts, food and cultural festivals, regattas, and sports tourism events.
He noted this figure shows an increase compared to more than 290 tourism products recorded last year.
As an example, the Kuching Marathon 2025 which took place in September, successfully attracted over 14,000 participants, including more than 800 from Selangor as well as runners from several other states and Brunei.
