http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/407024/1/.html
Sarawak Tourism Board wants to attract more Singaporean tourists
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 05 February 2009 1801 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
A doube-trunk burial pole (kelirieng) at Sarawak Museum, Kuching.
SINGAPORE : With the financial crisis, more travellers are expected to opt for shorter getaways within the region.
And that is what the Sarawak Tourism Board is looking to capitalise on with its aggressive drive to attract more Singaporean tourists.
In fact, it hopes to see a tripling of the number of tourists from Singapore this year.
Sarawak is still an unexplored destination for Singaporeans.
Out of 4.3 million tourists who visited the Malaysian state in 2007, only 41,000 were Singaporeans. This is one reason why the Sarawak Tourism Board is sparing no efforts to boost the numbers, especially during the current financial slowdown.
"With this financial crisis, people tend to have less in their pockets, and those who used to travel long distances like going to Europe, Canada, America in the past, these people still want to travel. I believe these people will go for short haul destinations, and Sarawak will be an option," said Michael Manyin, Urban Development and Tourism Minister, Sarawak.
Sarawak has also become a better option because of improved accessibility, in terms of more flights made available. Compared to just one daily flight previously, there are now four direct flights operating since November.
The state is also working with local tour operators and airlines to offer various competitive travel packages.
Plane tickets are also set to become cheaper as a price war is likely to set in when another low cost carrier - JetStar Asia - starts operating flights to Sarawak this March.
"Previously without the air access, we are easily looking at a couple of hundred dollars more. I think with the increased air access since last quarter, we are generally looking at a more competitive kind of pricing. For a 4-day, 3-night tour package to Sarawak, we are easily just looking at just S$300 to S$400," said Eileen Oh, VP of Leisure at UOB Travel.
Minister Manyin said since more airlines came on board, visitor numbers from Singapore have increased.
Silk Air and Tiger Airways, for example, have maintained an 80 per cent passenger load since it started operating flights to Sarawak in November.
With cheaper flights, the Sarawak Tourism Board said Singapore is also likely to see a boost in tourism numbers from Sarawak - bringing about a win-win situation.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the board is now in talks to expand its promotional activities across all media platforms in Singapore. - CNA /ls
Sarawak Tourism Board wants to attract more Singaporean tourists
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 05 February 2009 1801 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
A doube-trunk burial pole (kelirieng) at Sarawak Museum, Kuching.
SINGAPORE : With the financial crisis, more travellers are expected to opt for shorter getaways within the region.
And that is what the Sarawak Tourism Board is looking to capitalise on with its aggressive drive to attract more Singaporean tourists.
In fact, it hopes to see a tripling of the number of tourists from Singapore this year.
Sarawak is still an unexplored destination for Singaporeans.
Out of 4.3 million tourists who visited the Malaysian state in 2007, only 41,000 were Singaporeans. This is one reason why the Sarawak Tourism Board is sparing no efforts to boost the numbers, especially during the current financial slowdown.
"With this financial crisis, people tend to have less in their pockets, and those who used to travel long distances like going to Europe, Canada, America in the past, these people still want to travel. I believe these people will go for short haul destinations, and Sarawak will be an option," said Michael Manyin, Urban Development and Tourism Minister, Sarawak.
Sarawak has also become a better option because of improved accessibility, in terms of more flights made available. Compared to just one daily flight previously, there are now four direct flights operating since November.
The state is also working with local tour operators and airlines to offer various competitive travel packages.
Plane tickets are also set to become cheaper as a price war is likely to set in when another low cost carrier - JetStar Asia - starts operating flights to Sarawak this March.
"Previously without the air access, we are easily looking at a couple of hundred dollars more. I think with the increased air access since last quarter, we are generally looking at a more competitive kind of pricing. For a 4-day, 3-night tour package to Sarawak, we are easily just looking at just S$300 to S$400," said Eileen Oh, VP of Leisure at UOB Travel.
Minister Manyin said since more airlines came on board, visitor numbers from Singapore have increased.
Silk Air and Tiger Airways, for example, have maintained an 80 per cent passenger load since it started operating flights to Sarawak in November.
With cheaper flights, the Sarawak Tourism Board said Singapore is also likely to see a boost in tourism numbers from Sarawak - bringing about a win-win situation.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the board is now in talks to expand its promotional activities across all media platforms in Singapore. - CNA /ls
