KUCHING: Tourism in Sarawak is continuing on an upward trajectory, thanks to the many different events and attractions which are drawing people to the state.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said these include top music festivals, big sports events, relaxing wellness trips, and more people coming for medical treatment.
He stated that these activities have been a major contributor to attract visitors from outside to visit sarawak.
“In fact, we can’t give all the credit solely to music festivals.
“If we look at sporting events, they also contribute significantly to the number of visitors. Even medical tourism and wellness tourism are on the rise. Many people are coming to Sarawak to seek treatment here,” he said at the Kuching Music Festival here on Sunday night (May 18).
Abdul Karim added events such as marathons held in cities in the state have also attracted thousands of participants.
“Almost half of those who participate in marathons here are from outside the state,” he said.
On the Kuching Music Festival, Abdul Karim said it served as a warm-up event ahead of the internationally renowned Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF).
“To some extent you could say that this is an ice-breaking event as some of the performers tonight will be performing at this year’s RWMF, he said.
The Minister added that the music was one of the key events organised by the Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) in conjunction with Kuching Day, though the date was brought forward slightly.
“It was rescheduled to accommodate the orchestra from Kuala Lumpur, as it involves many artisans and musicians. So, this was the ideal time to organise it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the second edition of the festival attracted over 1,500 music fans.
The event featured performances by the Kuala Lumpur Orchestra (OKL), Prodigy Orchestra, and Tuku’ Kame.
Legendary singer Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Mal Imran, Firdaus Materang, Claudia Geres, Valerie Thiam, Chien Ng, and Dell Lawrance also captivated the crowd with their performances.
