KUCHING, April 1 — Sarawak is maintaining its previous target of attracting 1.2 million tourists and visitors this year.

State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the target was based on the arrival of tourists and visitors to Sarawak in the first three months of this year.

"The arrival of visitors to Sarawak has jumped almost 500 per cent in three months and the reopening of the country’s borders today is expected to see an increase in arrivals from the Peninsula and overseas,” he said during a press conference after Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM)’s 76th-anniversary celebration at RTM Sarawak here today.

He said the total number of visitors to Sarawak over several years has been between 4.3 million and 4.5 million a year, however, since the Covid-19 pandemic, the numbers had dropped to below one million.

Abdul Karim said his ministry has planned several exciting tourism activities to help attract more visitors to Sarawak this year and among the activities is the return of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) and Spartan Race. — Bernama