via New Sarawak Tribune, 24 December 2019: First of a three-part story about the potential for cultural heritage tourism in Sarawak. It features some quotes I made during last year’s Malaysian Archaeology conference in Miri.
This year, the state has a target of achieving 5 million visitor arrivals, achieving 3,366,922 as of September according to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
With this in mind, Sarawak has been implementing a range of campaigns including Visit Sarawak 2019 while also playing host to numerous local and international tourism events including the globally renowned Spartan Race and the Rainforest World Music Festival.
A substantial sector of tourism in Sarawak is based on cultural heritage.
In this regard, the state has been relatively well-preserved. Visitors are able to experience heritage attractions in their true light with minimal corruption by modernisation.
James Yong, vice president of Sarawak Heritage Society, emphasised that heritage was vital as it reflected identity.
“It derives from our culture, history, values, and traditions — in essence, it is about who we are as a people,” he explained.
Source: Selling our culture to the world | New Sarawak Tribune
