Giving out pamphlets, brochures not the way to promote tourism — Lee
MIRI: Getting the right ingredients and pairing them with good packaging and marketing strategy is the secret recipe to promote the local tourism industry.
Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin, who mentioned this, said gone are the days of giving out pamphlets and brochures at events as a way of promotion.
“People want straight forward information and a clear picture of what to expect before visiting any places of interest. Hence, the best way for us to push our tourism industry is to go digital,” he told a press conference yesterday.
Taking CCTV4, an international broadcaster in China, that featured Miri in one of its many episodes as an example, he said the effort gave Miri an international platform to be introduced to the world.
“Sarawak and Miri have a rich natural heritage and diverse cultures that are different from that of China and other parts of the world. We are special in many ways. Being featured in such a prestigious television show gives us the opportunity to show the world what we have to offer,” he said.
Lee also mentioned about the plan to invite popular artistes from China to perform in Kuching, which he described as a good way to further promote Sarawak.
“These artistes are already popular in China. To be able to invite them here for performance, the coverage by the China press and to be vastly broadcast in China would create an impressive image of Sarawak to the people there. We are definitely looking forward to the event which will be happening next year.
“Of course, the charter f lights to bringing in tourists directly without the fuss of long haul transit f lights create more business opportunity. We are looking at various provinces from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and are working on it at the moment,” he said.
Asked on the way to beef up the image of the local places of interests, Lee reckoned that a new museum featuring the cultures and heritage of Miri might be a great attraction.
“At the moment, there is a proposition to convert the existing Resident’s and District Office into a cultural museum that portrays the many old and new faces of Miri. We are working on how it could be done,” he added.