Lee hopes CCTV documentary ‘CAN’ lead to direct flights

MIRI: Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Lee Kim Shin hopes the CCTV (Central China Television) documentary, including the interview with him on Miri and northern region tourism industry can convince airline companies from the republic to fly into Miri.

Efforts are being made by the ministry to get airlines companies to fly direct to the city either on schedule or chartered flights from China, particularly Shenzhen.

“We have started with Hong Kong-Kuching recently and the response was quite good with 1,265 tourists and visitors flown in from Hong Kong. Our next markets would be China and Taiwan followed by (South) Korea and Japan,” said Lee.

Anticipating the distance between Shenzhen and Miri will reduce travelling time and cost, Lee said Miri could be another gateway to Sarawak.

Rich with natural and cultural wonders such as seven national parks and diverse ethnic and racial group, the ministry vouched that Miri, particularly northern region, is able to cater for different market segment from China.

The selling points for Miri would be ‘CAN’ or Culture, Adventure and Nature, including shopping activities. Miri is also close to Brunei where tourists can hop to another country in a single trip of 35km.

In this context, the assistant minister urged the industry players to cooperate with both the ministry and Sarawak Tourism Board to come up with attractive packages to attract tourists and visitors from the targeted markets.