Sell Sabah, Sarawak through Borneo Harvest Festival: Masidi

KUCHING: Sabah and Sarawak could sell its culture tourism to the world through a joint harvest festival called Borneo Harvest Festival, said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Both states were blessed with strong tourism products and culture is one of them, said Masidi. Both states could put together package tours in Sabah and Sarawak that highlight the harvest festivals in both states as the main attraction for visitors, with May 30-31 for the Tadau Kaamatan and June 1-2 for the Gawai festival.

“These two festivals can help to promote culture tourism where everyone could experience the culture and lifestyle of the indigenous ethnic races,” he said during his visit with Sarawak Minister of Urban Development and Toursim, Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh on Monday. “We should not compete against one another but complement each other. Through this cooperation we would be able to achieve better results (for both states),” Masidi added.

On issues affecting Sabah tourism industry, the lack of outbound flights from Kota Kinabalu and the construction work currently undergoing at the Kota Kinabalu International airport has a big influence on tourist arrival to the state, said Masidi.

Likewise, Sarawak experiences a similar problem as the state relies heavily on Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu as gateways to the state, said Wong. Wong hoped that Air Asia’s effort in introducing routes from Kuching – Jakarta and Kuching – Bali would boost the tourism industry in Sarawak. Also present during the visit was Sabah Tourism Board General Manager Datuk Irene Charuruks.