Sarawak emerging as education tourism hub, drawing more international students

Borneo Post

27-05-2025

Abdul Karim speaks during a press conference at the State Legislative Assembly building today. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (May 27): Sarawak is fast gaining traction as a hub for education tourism, with the state seeing a steady rise in the number of international students enrolling in its higher learning institutions.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said a total of 2,183 international students studied in Sarawak in 2024, an increase of 4.8 per cent compared to the previous year.
'As for this year, there were 672 new international students enrolled in Sarawak higher learning institutions,' he said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting here today.
Later at a press conference, Abdul Karim said education tourism is coming up quite well in Sarawak.
'We have higher learning institutions like Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and Curtin University Malaysia, and even tertiary-level institutions such as Tunku Putra where you can see many international students, particularly from Korea, coming to study English,' he said.
He noted that Sarawak is being viewed as a favourable destination for education due to factors such as safety, affordable housing, and high quality of life – similar to the appeal the state holds for medical tourism.
'From what I gather, those who come over to study English have done their research and find Sarawak a better venue in terms of security, housing, and lifestyle,' he said.
Abdul Karim also highlighted the state government's ongoing efforts to strengthen local education institutions across Sarawak, including in areas such as Sibu, which is expected to further boost the influx of students from outside the state.
In addition to undergraduate students, he said Sarawak is also attracting a growing number of postgraduate researchers.
'If you go to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), they offer postgraduate programmes, and the majority of students are from overseas, particularly China. Many of them are coming not for first degrees but for postgraduate and PhD studies,' he said.
While specific statistics on foreign postgraduate students are not immediately available, Abdul Karim said his ministry will liaise with universities to compile the data.
He added that international schools offering English-language education have also seen growing interest, particularly from Indonesian families who send their children to Sarawak for early tertiary studies before continuing their education in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia. Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah education tourism hub international students lead