Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Shot in the arm for Sarawak homestays


MIRI: Tourism and Culture Ministry has included 35 homestay destinations in Sarawak under its promotion packages.

The move will enable the ministry to promote this segment at international tourism roadshows.

The ministry’s Sarawak office director Suriya Charles Buas said the move by the federal ministry would be of tremendous benefit to Sarawak’s tourism players.

Speaking at a recent seminar for Sarawak homestay operators from northern Sarawak here, he said the ministry viewed Sarawak as a place of fascinating and exotic appeal.

“Currently, 35 registered homestays in Sarawak are in the ministry’s list of destinations that we promote during our global roadshows.

“The homestay segment of the tourism industry in Sarawak needs to be more widely promoted because Sarawak has many fascinating spots in rural areas.

“The homestay segment is still not much known due to lack of promotions. The ministry wants to aggressively beef up marketing of these homestay services.

“Sarawak has vast untapped potential in the homestay industry and with more coordinated promotions at domestic and international levels, we can give the rural destinations more publicity,” he said.

Buas said that last year, some 31,379 tourists stayed at homestays in Sarawak.

This number could be raised significantly with the right promotion strategies, he noted.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Shot in the arm for Sarawak homestays
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