S’wak tourism seeks longer stays, higher spending

KUCHING: Sarawak’s tourism industry wants Budget 2027 to prioritise destination development and infrastructure to turn visitor growth into longer stays and higher local spending.

Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) president Audry Wan Ullok (pic) said greater attention should be given to secondary and rural destinations through improved infrastructure, accessibility and digitalisation.

“While visitor arrivals are important, Sarawak needs to ensure that destinations, facilities and tourism products are sufficiently developed to accommodate growth sustainably,” she told Sarawak Tribune.

She said increased investment in international marketing should go hand in hand with efforts to strengthen connectivity, as promotional efforts would have limited impact if travellers faced difficulties accessing Sarawak.

Wan Ullok identified Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, China, India and Australia as priority markets, alongside selected traditional European markets such as the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries.

Emerging markets such as Russia should also be explored while Sarawak continues to strengthen its connectivity within ASEAN, she said.

She stressed Sarawak should leverage its strengths in nature, culture, adventure, wellness and community-based tourism to attract higher-value and longer-staying visitors.

To encourage more high-value tourism products, Wan Ullok proposed targeted grants, matching grants and tax incentives covering product innovation, interpretation and storytelling, sustainability, safety, quality standards and digitalisation.

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She said incentives should also encourage greater community participation, particularly as many unique tourism experiences were developed by local communities and small businesses.

“Importantly, assistance should also be extended to smaller operators and community-based organisations, as many unique tourism experiences are developed by local communities and small businesses,” she said.

Wan Ullok said more targeted assistance was needed for micro and small tourism operators, many of whom faced difficulties meeting application requirements, providing upfront funding or navigating different financing schemes.

She proposed simplified application processes, smaller and more accessible grants, reasonable matching requirements and dedicated funding for micro and small tourism operators.

She said capacity-building and guidance should also accompany financial assistance so smaller operators could access and utilise the available opportunities effectively.

Wan Ullok said Budget 2027 should focus not only on increasing visitor numbers but also on increasing visitor value.

She proposed greater support for multi-day itineraries, premium and experiential tourism products, cultural and heritage experiences, nature and adventure activities, wellness tourism, gastronomy and community-based tourism.

“Improved connectivity between Kuching and secondary destinations, better visitor facilities and stronger packaging among tourism operators will also be important,” she said.

She said the objective should be to encourage visitors to stay longer, travel beyond the main gateway and spend more within local communities.

Wan Ullok said this would create greater economic value for Sarawak while ensuring tourism growth remained sustainable and benefited local communities.