NEW SARAWAK PACKAGES OPEN EXCITING DOORS FOR SINGAPOREANS

The Sarawak Tourism Board is eagerly anticipating an influx of Singaporean tourists to the state following the launch of the Sarawak Integrated Packages in the republic today. With the introduction of these packages, Sarawak is now more accessible than ever before, offering a wealth of exciting activities and attractions for visitors to explore. From its lush rainforests and stunning beaches to its vibrant culture and rich history, Sarawak is the perfect destination for a memorable holiday.

The Minister with Singapore Agents

Today, Sarawak's Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam, unveiled a series of exciting packages at the Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel (Marina Square). The event was attended by Sarawak Tourism Board's Chief Executive Officer, Dato Rashid Khan, as well as senior management from Singapore-based Malaysia Airlines.

The Sarawak Tourism Board has launched an innovative campaign to drive tourist arrivals to this East Malaysian state. Through a consumer-driven tactical campaign, the Board is creating awareness and encouraging action. These creative packages are designed to demonstrate the State's commitment to investing in a vibrant, profitable, and sustainable tourism industry.

The Board has partnered with local tourism suppliers who have contracts with Singaporean travel agents. As a result, 36 travel agents have been identified to fulfill enquiries, bookings, and payments for these integrated tour packages. Nine Sarawak suppliers are involved in this initiative.

Sarawak - Where Adventure Lives

In the past, tourism promotion efforts have focused on travel trade-directed promotion, providing a foundation for the travel industry in Singapore to be exposed to the product experiences and dimensions of what Sarawak has to offer. While travel trade professionals are aware of these product offerings, the general public is not familiar with the product experiences such as soft adventures, cosmopolitan culture, active outdoor activities, resorts, and spas. This is due to the lack of advertising and promotional campaigns being carried out by Singaporean travel agents. Understandably, the travel industry will not invest in such costly campaigns and will only allocate resources to destinations that will contribute positively to their profit and loss statements.

The consumer-driven strategy will be executed through collaboration with tourism stakeholders in both Singapore and Sarawak. The ultimate product experiences will be bundled into packages that include transfers, accommodations, meals, tours, and airfares. These bundled packages will be advertised to consumers through a print and digital media campaign, running for a period of eight months (October 2010 - June 2011). The names of the participating Singaporean travel agents and their contact information will be featured in the advertisement materials.

Retreat Packages

The eight-month campaign was designed to incorporate the pre-launch, which was held in various cities and towns in Sarawak, followed by a grand launch event in Singapore, where participating travel agents and suppliers were invited. The mini Travel Mart was featured as a side event at the launch venue, and a breakfast engagement with selected travel agents was also held.

In addition to the print and digital media campaign, a familiarization trip for the media and travel industry was organized in collaboration with Malaysia Airlines on its SIN/MYY inaugural flight, scheduled for October 30th, 2010.

The goals of this campaign were to encourage more Singapore-based airlines to operate into Sarawak, a vibrant state rich in culture, nature, and tremendous business opportunities in various sectors of the economy. It was also intended to signal that the State was serious about playing its role in facilitating the growth of the tourism industry. The outcome and deliverables of this initiative were expected to achieve 47,788% of tourist arrivals with 99.9% tourism receipts.

Sarawak Tourism Board will also continue to engage the travel industry players in Singapore through its Roadshow program, planned for January 2011. Consumer Fairs will be reinforced with the Board’s planned participation at the NATAS Travel Fair in February of the same year.

Borneo Explorer Package

This investment initiative is part of Sarawak's Tourism Transformation Plan, which focuses on market development programs for key markets, with Singapore being one of the most important. It is essential to continue developing this market in order to increase tourism arrivals and receipts.

Among the offers by Sarawak Integrated Packages itinerary are the chance to stay at the luxurious Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort and experience an Ethnic Longhouse Safari. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about the daily lives of the natives, sample local dishes, and be immersed in the traditional dances and music of the area.

The itineraries also include a trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gunung Mulu National Park, where visitors can explore the wonders of the world's largest cave, the world's longest canopy skywalk, or the archeological site found in Niah National Park. Additionally, there are Retreat Packages available for those looking for a more leisurely experience.


Courtesy of Sarawak Tourism Board

DISCOVER PARADISE: A TOUR OF THE ISLAND OF KAPALAI AND MABUL

For those who have never visited Borneo, Kapalai Island and Mabul Island may seem like just another island. But for divers and beach-loving travelers, this place is a paradise. The resorts are fabulous, with airy, stylish accommodations, and the ecosystem is simply wonderful. The powdery white sand, crystal clear waters, and abundance of marine life make this destination a must-see for any traveler.

Sipadan Island is renowned as one of the top five dive destinations in the world, and it is only a 15-minute boat ride away from Kapalai Island. With its crystal-clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, and diverse marine life, it is no wonder why Sipadan is so highly regarded by divers around the globe. From the majestic sea turtles to the colorful schools of fish, Sipadan is a paradise for underwater exploration.

Our journey to Kapalai is an approximately one-hour boat ride from Semporna on the mainland. However, this remote town is an eight-hour drive from the capital city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. Fortunately, there are daily flights from Kota Kinabalu to the nearby Tawau town, which take just under an hour. For this trip, we opted to take the road journey, allowing us to make a few stops at various towns along the way.

Reaching the island of Kapalai, we were then taken on a tour of the thrilling Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort (SKDR), which stands on no land in sight. The resort here is built on stilts that go down into the water, allowing us to observe the playful antics of squids and needlefish from our chalet balcony. Kapalai was said to be a stunning island two hundred years ago, but now it is merely a sandbar. Erosion has reduced the island to sea level, and the village now sits atop the Ligitan reef.

The island of Mabul is located a little further away from Sipadan, but closer to Semporna and Tawau. It is home to a large population of Bajau Laut and Sulug Muslims, whom Europeans refer to as 'Sea Gypsies'. According to our guide, Amir (Sulug), half of the island's population is comprised of children. Mabul is primarily a fishing village, but in recent years it has become increasingly popular among divers due to its proximity to Sipadan.

There are two luxurious dive resorts on the island of Mabul: the Mabul Water Bungalow and the Sipadan Water Village. For a more unique experience, visitors can stay on the converted oil rig platform, Seaventure Platform. For those looking for a more budget-friendly option, the local villagers offer Homestay accommodations starting at just USD16.00.

We experienced the underwater environment here, which is quite different from that of Sipadan or Manukan Island near Kota Kinabalu. My colleague Ozie was telling me that he didn't spot any schools of fish, turtles, or sharks, but he was still delighted to observe an array of unusual creatures such as razor fish, cuttlefish, mandarin fish, nudibranchs, and frogfish in this island.

At the end of our trip, Amir informed us that Mabul Island was once owned by a man from the nearby island of Menampilik. In the 1970s, the island was primarily used for fishing. Later, Sipadan Mabul Resort purchased part of the island for tourism development, and it remains that way to this day.

We returned to Semporna with sweet memories to last a lifetime, making the overall boat tour cost of USD145.00 well worth it.

Sincerest gratitude to Mohammad Shiddley, Cindy Bong, Ozie Tungging, and Aleza Sohar for their invaluable contributions in making this remarkable journey a reality. Without them, this incredible experience would not have been possible.



Disclaimer - Treat this writing and photography as fact or pure fantasy if you'd like. I welcome your comments and opinions.

OFF TO SEMPORNA, SABAH: A FUN ROAD TRIP AWAITS YOU!

I never thought that I will be coming to Semporna ever. The journey by land from the capital of Kota Kinabalu can take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours, while flying is the quickest option. Flights to Semporna are connected from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau, the closest town to Semporna. Semporna itself is situated within the Tawau division. When I first arrived, I was amazed by the beauty of this rural area and the friendly people here.

On this journey, we traveled by road from Kinabalu Rose Cabin, located more than 6 hours north of Semporna at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu. Along the way, we stopped at the renowned Pekan Kundasang and the historical Nunuk Ragang Monument in Tampias, where we were treated to a stunning view of the Kinabatangan River. I was uncertain about the historical significance of Nunuk Ragang, which Cindy had introduced as a "historical site". Despite not seeing any obvious historical value in the building, I noticed some words inscribed on the walls that read "Kounsikaan Kotombulusian Ko-15, Id Nunuk Ragang, Om Koulitan Ko-26 Toun Do Huguan Siou". I surmised that this could be a reference to a past celebration, and I wished I could understand the meaning of the words in the Kadazan Dusun dialect.

We all agreed not to make any more stops along the way to Semporna, as we realized the miles were quickly adding up. Ozie's Blackberry was giving us the wrong directions on Google Maps, but at least we could see the road map, which gave us some hope of reaching our destination. We decided to take a break for some refreshments at the Sandakan junction. The road surfaces were becoming increasingly worse, with more construction sites popping up.

As Cindy took the wheel for the journey to Sandakan, she drove faster than I. Fortunately, the road conditions were far better than they had been halfway through. The countryside was dominated by oil palm plantations, with rugged hills dotting the landscape.

We finally arrived in Semporna around 6:00pm, and the darkness of night had already begun to settle in this part of the world. In contrast to Kuching in the eastern part of Borneo, 6:00pm is still the prime time for joggers to take to the streets.

Semporna is home to a population of approximately 135,000 and is a popular gateway for diving and snorkeling to the nearby picturesque islands of Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, and Mataking, among others. This is the primary purpose of our nine-hour journey today, and the main draw for visitors to this area.
.