KUCHING: The organisation of the Sarawak Umrah & Islamic Tourism Expo Festival 2026 (SUITEX26) is expected to elevate Sarawak's position as an Islamic tourism hub in the Borneo region, besides boosting the local economy through the growth of the tourism sector.

Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said SUITEX26, scheduled to take place from 28 to 30 August at Boulevard Mall, Miri, will bring together licensed Umrah agencies, Islamic tourism companies, financial institutions and various industry players under one roof.

According to him, the organisation of SUITEX26 is in line with the government's aspirations to expand inclusive and quality tourism products in addition to helping promote Sarawak as a progressive Islamic tourism destination.

"The organisation of SUITEX26 is in line with the aspirations of the Sarawak Government to further expand inclusive and quality tourism products.

“Programmes such as this not only provide local communities with access to accurate information, but also enable visitors from outside Sarawak to gain a better understanding of Umrah and Hajj while helping to promote Sarawak as a progressive Islamic tourism destination in the Borneo region,” he said.

He said this during the SUITEX26 press conference held here on Wednesday.

Dato Sri Abdul Karim added that the expo would also provide visitors with the opportunity to compare Umrah packages, seek professional advice directly from service providers and select packages that best suit their needs.

Meanwhile, he said SUITEX26 is expected to attract visitors from across Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei Darussalam and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

He explained that the presence of international visitors would create opportunities for Umrah and Hajj packages offered by the Sarawak Umrah and Hajj Association (SUHA) to gain wider recognition for their competitive pricing, quality services and favourable foreign exchange rates.

“I would also encourage SUHA to make use of the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Brunei (STATOB) to promote its services.

“That is one of the purposes of establishing offices such as these in Brunei, Singapore through the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS), and soon in Pontianak, hopefully by the end of this year.

“You can carry out your marketing and promotional activities through these offices,” he said. -UKASnews

Prepared By: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Translator: Nerissa Sia