Sarawak on track to achieve 5 mln tourist arrivals in 2026, says Abd Karim

KUCHING (April 10): Sarawak remains on track to achieve its target of five million visitors this year despite rising global uncertainties and potential airfare surcharges linked to tensions in the Middle East, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Expressing confidence in the state’s tourism resilience, the State Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said Sarawak’s strategy has always been to promote tourism consistently throughout the year rather than rely on one-off campaigns.

“I am very positive. A drop in tourist arrivals is not my worry. I believe we will still be able to reach five million visitors this year,” he told reporters after chairing the Sarawak Tourism Steering Committee meeting for 2026 here.

He said Sarawak’s tourism industry continues to record strong growth, citing 4.97 million visitor arrivals in 2025 and tourism receipts of RM12.67 billion.

“This shows that the tourism industry is really thriving; we have never seen such a surge before,” he said.

While acknowledging that rising travel costs could affect international travel demand, Abdul Karim said Sarawak is prepared to cushion any impact by strengthening domestic tourism and rolling out more events and packages across the state.

He added that his ministry, together with the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and event organisers, will continue introducing tourism products to sustain healthy visitor numbers.

“There will be many musical events this year in Sarawak, as well as food and cultural festivals.

“Practically every division has a food and culture festival. Little by little, this will move people,” he said.

Abdul Karim said domestic tourism remains a key pillar of Sarawak’s strategy, noting that travel within the state and Malaysia generates economic value comparable to international arrivals.

“If people from Miri or Sibu come to Kuching for an event, they will stay in hotels. If people from the United Kingdom come here, they will also stay in hotels.

“So we have to look at this positively,” he said.

On the federal government’s decision to extend Visit Malaysia Year due to global uncertainties, he said tourism promotion should not be confined to a single campaign year.

“For me, every year is Visit Malaysia Year. I never believed in having just one year as Visit Malaysia.

“Tourism is an important industry every year, not just for one year,” he said.

He added that Sarawak has long adopted a continuous tourism promotion approach, similar to countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, which maintain long-term destination branding.

During the steering committee meeting, Abdul Karim said stakeholders also raised several operational issues, including rubbish disposal at national parks and streamlining grant disbursement processes for tourism events.

“These are very minor issues, but we appreciate such feedback because it allows us to improve,” he said.