KUCHING: The Borneo Tuak Festival 2026 is expected to serve as an important platform in elevating tuak as a cultural heritage of Sarawak's indigenous communities, while strengthening community-based, cultural and gastronomic tourism development.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew, said the festival, a flagship programme under the Borneo Rice and Gastronomy Festival 2026, does not merely celebrate tuak as a traditional drink, but also opens up economic opportunities for rural communities, indigenous entrepreneurs, food operators, artisans, culture practitioners and local creative talents.

"Through this platform, rural communities, indigenous entrepreneurs, food operators, artisans, culture practitioners and young creative talents can share their stories, traditions and identity directly with visitors from across the country and abroad," he said.

He said this at a press conference on the festival at Bangunan Baitulmakmur 2, here, on Friday.

Sebastian Ting added that the Borneo Tuak Festival, held since 2023, has had a positive impact on local operators, with more of them successfully improving product quality through more professional packaging, branding and marketing.

He also said the festival has spurred innovation among operators, including producing their own yeast for tuak production, thereby opening up new business opportunities within the industry's supply chain.

He said the development of quality cultural products not only increases market value, but also benefits rural entrepreneurs, artisans, traditional food producers, cultural practitioners and the younger generation through efforts to preserve and pass on cultural heritage.

In this regard, he said the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts will continue to support initiatives in line with the agenda of high-value, sustainable and community-based tourism development.

He expressed confidence that the Borneo Rice and Gastronomy Festival has the potential to grow into one of the leading tourism events in the BIMP-EAGA region, while the Borneo Tuak Festival could become an internationally recognised event showcasing Sarawak's unique cultural identity to the world.

The Borneo Tuak Festival 2026 will return from July 17 to 19, 2026, at 11 Ridgeway Kuching.

This edition is expected to bring together more than 60 vendors, including 40 tuak brands from Sarawak and Kuala Lumpur, alongside a variety of local delicacies, art and craft exhibitions, cultural performances and entertainment, tuak-making workshops and demonstrations of Borneo's cultural heritage. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Nur Nabilla
Photo: Nur Nabilla
Translator: Uilson Ng