Abdul Karim: Sarawak to develop untapped lake tourism potentials
Abdul Karim speaking to reporters during a press conference at today's DUN sitting.
KUCHING (May 27): The Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts will be collaborating with relevant ministries and agencies in planning and developing lake tourism potentials, guided by the Sarawak Hydro Lakes Management and Development Plan 2030.
Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak's natural and man-made lakes present a significant and largely untapped potential for lake tourism.
'These aquatic environments offer unique opportunities to diversify our tourism offerings.
'To fully realise the potential of lake tourism in Sarawak, it is crucial for us to ensure local community participation, creating a variety of appealing activities, targeted marketing and improving accessibility through investments in road and boat transportation,' he said when winding up his ministerial speech at the State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
He told the august House that Sarawak, with its strategic location bordering Indonesia's Kalimantan and Brunei Darussalam, also possessed significant potential for border tourism, offering unique opportunities and benefits.
'A majority of Bruneians and Indonesians enter Sarawak by land. In 2024, the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) Complex in Sungai Tujuh recorded 697,666 Bruneian visitors, followed by Pandaruan (290,111), Mengkalap (306,130) and Tedungan (311,619).
'Meanwhile, CIQS Tebedu recorded 280,884 Indonesian visitors, followed by Biawak (137,454) and Lubok Antu (50,124),' he said.
He said the relocation of Indonesia's capital to Nusantara in East Kalimantan presents a significant opportunity for Sarawak to position itself as a beneficiary of the increased regional activity.
Abdul Karim also touched on the state's health tourism sector which has experienced significant growth last year, according to the Malaysia Health Tourism Council (MHTC).
'In 2024, Sarawak's health tourism sector attracted 68,655 health visitors, a 6.6 per cent increase from the 64,393 recorded in 2023.
'This surge in visitors translated to a substantial 13.65 per cent rise in revenue, reaching RM141.5 million in 2024 compared to RM124.5 million in the previous year.'
He pointed out that Indonesia and China were the primary drivers of Sarawak's health tourism revenue last year, with Indonesian visitors accounting for 52,850 arrivals and revenue of RM127 million, while Chinese visitors contributing to 3,565 arrivals and revenue of RM3.6 million.
Brunei health visitors accounted for 3,239 arrivals with revenue of RM2.5 million; the Philippines with 1,061 arrivals and revenue of RM1.04 million; and India with 808 arrivals and revenue of RM0.6 million, he added.
Moving forward, Abdul Karim said the Sarawak Tourism Board is strengthening health tourism promotion through close collaboration with MHTC and participation in the Malaysia Healthcare Expo.
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