‘Rajang Basin to benefit from SibuS’pore direct flight’
SIBU: Establishing direct flights between Sibu and Singapore will help boost tourist arrivals to the Rajang Basin, bringing along economic benefits to the people and the state, says SUPP Dudong chairman Wong Ching Yong.
According to him, having the sector in place would allow Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) to promote the Rajang Basin as an eco-tourism location to Singapore.
“The unique and picturesque ecological landscape of the Rajang Basin has not received the full attention or support from the authorities. For the first half of this year, no tourism event was organised in Sibu.
“It seems that the Rajang Basin has been seriously neglected,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Wong said STB’s calendar for next month lists only two events, namely Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) and the International Dance Festival.
“According to STB’s website, more than 320,000 people visited Sarawak in January this year – 140,000 more than the tourist figure recorded in January last year.
“However, the Rajang Basin did not feel much economic benefits from the greater number of tourists coming in,” he lamented.
He said last Monday, SUPP Sibu had visited AirAsia’s office here to explore the possibility of a direct flight between Sibu and Singapore, and another between Sibu and Penang.
Wong said they were told that while a Sibu-Singapore direct flight is a possibility, the chance of having a Sibu-Penang direct flight is ‘relatively small’.
He then suggested that STB intensify efforts at promoting the Rajang Basin to Singaporeans now, in preparation should the Sibu-Singapore direct flight be established.
He also said the Sarawak government needs to improve and upgrade the infrastructure facilities of tourist attractions in the state.
“For several decades, Sabah has had about four million foreign tourists each year.
“The cultural landscape and natural scenery of Sarawak is comparably attractive with that of Sabah, but why the vast difference in the achievements in tourism between the two territories?”
Present with him at the press conference were SUPP deputy president Dato Chieng Buong Toon and SUPP Nangka chairman Chua Beng Seng.