KUCHING, Feb 18 — Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg tonight said he believed Sarawak will be the tourism destination of the country by 2030 with all the ecosystem and the strategic investments that the state government has adopted to boost the industry.
“I am sure with all these facilities that we have and I need the cooperation of all the stakeholders to make sure that Kuching City is clean and I am sure that our economy will be moving forward,” he said at the opening of Sheraton Kuching Hotel here.
He said he was informed that over three million tourists arrived in Sarawak last year.
He said the state Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Ministry is targeting four million arrivals.
He said the state government will extend the Borneo Convention Centre as there have been many international conferences held in Kuching that need bigger venue to accommodate 10,000 participants.
Abang Johari said the nagging problem of air connectivity to Sarawak will be minimised when the state government takes over MASWings from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), hopefully by the third quarter of this year.
He said the federal government has agreed in principle for the state to take over the airline.
“I would like to clarify here that MASWings will not be run in a normal business model. I have my own business model,” the premier said.
He said the investment in the airline will not be based on returns on investment, but rather on the trickle-down effects that will be measured on the success of the airlines.
“When we invest on RM1 billion on the construction of Batang Lupar bridge, we never talk on returns on investment, but rather to facilitate mobility for the people to move and travel,” he said, adding the model on the running of the airline will be similar.
He said profitability is not the motivation to take over MASWings.
He said the state government is also aiming to seek the listing of the Niah Caves as a Unesco heritage site.
