Having strong Internet coverage and proper road signs can further enhance the tourism industry in Sarawak, said Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He points out that this is particularly important for the tourists who are travelling by road, in that they are to follow the right directions to any destination that they want to visit.

In this regard, he highlights the importance of having strong Internet connectivity to power up mobile navigational applications such as Waze and Google Map.

“I admit that Waze and Google Maps may not be accessible in certain places in Sarawak, but I do know that the state government is working very hard in improving Internet connectivity.

“However, Sarawak is a very big state, as big as Peninsular Malaysia and thus, to get things improved would take a little bit of time.

“Rest assured that the government is working very hard in making sure that the connectivity is there,” he said in a press conference held after the launch of the Association of Sarawak Inbound Agencies (ASIA)’s ‘Sarawak Road Trip: Self Drive Travel Guide’ at Kuching Waterfront yesterday.

Adding on, Abdul Karim said tourism products such as ASIA’s road-trip guide would require good connectivity to enable the tourists to know the tourism interests peculiar to the certain areas.

“If it’s just Kuching-Samarahan-Bau (areas), of course the connectivity is still very good, but if you’re to go slightly deeper, where the connectivity is not there, you wouldn’t be able to access the information about the tourism products that are available along the way,” he said.

Abdul Karim also talked about the importance of updating the road signs, adding that the onus would be on the local authorities (PBTs) to implement this.

“Signage is also another thing that needs to be improved and in this regard, the PBTs would have to update them so as to make directions more effective,” he said.

On the ‘Sarawak Road Trip: Self Drive Travel Guide’, Abdul Karim said the main objective was to encourage Sarawakians to explore their ‘own backyard by road’.

“The long-term aim is to enhance inbound tourism by offering more options for both domestic and international visitors.

“There is so much to explore in this part of Borneo, stretching from Lundu in the south to Lawas in the north.

“The expected completion of the Pan Borneo Highway by early 2023 should further facilitate travelling by road across Sarawak. Not only will the highway improve connectivity, it will also enhance businesses, including domestic tourism,” he said.

Adding on, the minister said during the Covid-19 pandemic, the domestic tourism in Sarawak had been well promoted via the ‘Sia Sitok’ campaign, covering discounted tours and accommodation packages.

“Sarawakians are encouraged to travel within the state, especially to the less-visited destinations. The completion of Pan Borneo Highway will further encourage Sarawakians to go on domestic holidays using their own vehicles, and traveling at their own pace.”

Available in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese versions, the ‘Sarawak Road Trip: Self Drive Travel Guide’ features 20 road trips across Sarawak, with Kuching, Sibu and Miri serving as the main hubs from which travellers get to explore some less well-known places.

For each trip, a QR code can be scanned from the guide to download the specified Google Map route into the smartphone for easy navigation.

The guide also highlights road trips that can be as short as a day-trip, and as long as four days.

At the launch here, it helped kick off a convoy trip to Gedong in Samarahan Division from Kuching Waterfront, involving some 100 people, who would get the chance to visit a number of attractions along the way including songket handicrafts in Kampung Kanchong Baru, and the famous noodle dish ‘Mee Udang Galah’ at Kampung Gumpey.

Set up on Feb 21, 2021, the road trip guide project is undertaken by the ASIA and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak.

The ASIA website will host the main content of the ‘Sarawak Road Trip: Self Drive Travel Guide’ website at https://asia.org.my/sarawak-road-trip/.

The event at Kuching Waterfront also hosted the ministry’s permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee, Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor, Business Events Sarawak chief executive officer Amelia Roziman, ASIA chairman Philip Yong, Sarawak Tourism Federation president Audrey Wan Ullok, and Sarawak Road Trip-Kuching organising chairman June Ho.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by JACQUELINE DAVID

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