Sarawak-Federal Collaboration Continues To Strengthen Tourism Industry
KUCHING: Collaboration between the Sarawak government and the Federal government continues to play an important role in strengthening and accelerating the development of Sarawak’s tourism industry.
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), has approved the upgrading and redevelopment of Taman Jubli Bukit Aup in Sibu under the Rolling Plan 1 (RP1) of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13) with an allocation of RM11 million.
He added that his ministry is also working closely with MOTAC under the ‘Program Pemulihan, Pemuliharaan, Ubahsuai dan Naik Taraf’ (PPUN) which has allocated RM1.2 million this year for three tourism-related projects in Sarawak.
“These projects include the upgrading of adaptive flood tourism infrastructure and interpretation facilities at Maludam National Park, restoration and upgrading works for the observation tower at Miri Public Park, as well as repair works on bridges and pedestrian walkways at Homestay Patrick Libau in Sungai Tangap Niah,” he said when delivering his winding-up speech during the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on Tuesday.
Dato Sri Abdul Karim also highlighted the positive performance of the Sarawak Homestay Programme, which as of 2025 recorded 74 registered clusters involving 960 operators and 1,991 rooms, generating RM9.2 million in income.
“For the first quarter of 2026 alone, homestay operators managed to generate income amounting to RM2.4 million,” he said, reflecting the continued growth and contribution of community-based tourism in Sarawak.
The Asajaya Assemblyman further noted that agencies such as Kraftangan Malaysia Sarawak Branch, JKKN Sarawak and Tourism Malaysia continue to actively support the promotion of Sarawak’s tourism and creative industry through cultural festivals, craft industry development and tourism promotion initiatives in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026. -UKASnews
