Tourism Malaysia shares Gawai joy with domestic, international travellers
Kevin (second left), Jun Iskandar (second right) and other officials present festive goodies bags to visitors arriving at the Kuching lnternational Airport.
KUCHING (June 2): The vibrant spirit of the Gawai Dayak Festival filled Sarawak's airports yesterday as Tourism Malaysia, in collaboration with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), hosted festive celebrations at Kuching International Airport (KIA) and Sibu Airport.
Held in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, the events aimed to share the cultural joy of Gawai with both domestic and international travellers.
Passengers arriving at the arrival halls were warmly greeted and offered festive goodies, including the iconic Sarawak Kek Lapis (layered cake) and promotional materials for VM2026.
At the KIA arrival hall, guests and passengers arriving on AirAsia flights from Kuala Lumpur (AK5232) and Singapore (AK1776) were treated to captivating cultural performances by a local dance troupe, showcasing Sarawak's rich heritage.
Also present were Tourism Malaysia Sarawak deputy director Kevin Jantan Robert Bidi, Kuching International Airport senior manager Jun Iskandar Murshidi and representatives from partner agencies, tourism associations and airlines.
'This is the third time that we are organising festive celebrations this year after having done it for the Chinese Lunar New Year and Hari Raya Adilfitri.
'We will also be organising similar programmes for Deepavali and Christmas,' Kevin told reporters.
'The main objective of organising this programme is to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2026 as well as promote the Gawai Dayak Festival celebration to both domestic and international visitors,' he added.
Celebrated annually on June 1 and 2, the Gawai Dayak Festival is part of Tourism Malaysia's efforts to promote the essence of Sarawak's rich cultural tapestry, inviting everyone to join in the festivities and experience the warmth of Malaysian hospitality.
In 2024, Malaysia welcomed 38 million international visitors — a 31.1 per cent increase from 2023 and 8.3 per cent above pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Visitor receipts also surged, generating RM106.78 billion, reflecting a substantial 43.7 per cent growth over 2023 and exceeding 2019 figures by 20 per cent.
This positive trend has continued into early 2025, with the first four months recording 13.4 million visitor arrivals — a 21.0 per cent year-on-year increase.
From January to April this year, Singapore remained the top visitor-generating market, followed by Indonesia, China, Thailand, India, Brunei, South Korea, The Philippines, Australia and the UK.
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