Sarawak Tourism Partners Upbeat On Business Opportunities From ITB Asia

KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia), Nov 3 (Bernama) -- East Malaysia state of Sarawak tourism partners are optimistic the recent Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) participation in the Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market (ITB Asia) in Singapore will encourage some great business opportunity for local travel trade members. STB Regional Marketing Manager, Kevin Nila, said participating industry partners from Sarawak were expected to be able to meet their marketing target despite the issue relating to Firefly’s impending discontinuation of flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and Sibu. "STB took up a booth at ITB Asia, one of the world’s largest travel trade show organised by Messe Berlin, Singapore in October," he said in a statement here. He said this year the three-day show in Suntec Convention Centre received a large number of participants, many of whom were key decision makers with about 7,511 trade visitors representing 91 countries attending it. Sarawak travel industry partners who joined STB booth at this year’s show were Borneo Adventure Tours, Greatown Travel, Straits Central Tours, Borneo Jungle Safari, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) and Pullman Hotel Kuching. All these Sarawak tourism partners hoped to increase their share of the business for next year despite economic uncertainties, he said. On Firefly's discontinuation of flights into Sarawak, which was raised during the show, he said it would revert to connectivity issues affecting the state's travel industry. With only one budget airline, AirAsia, plying these lucrative routes, travellers to Sarawak might experience a price hike and curtailed short and long-haul traffic into the region. However, he said, STB believed that participation in ITB Asia was a very effective platform in helping Sarawak’s tourism industry to capitalise on genuine business leads and enhancing long-lasting trade relationships. --BERNAMA Malaysia