Sarawak Tourism Hornbill Trail Newsletter – Latest Highlights From The Sarawak Tourism

AIFFA 2019

April 25, 2019 – April 27, 2019

The biennial ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) is back again in Kuching from 25 to 27 April.

AIFFA is a premier film festival that made its debut in 2013, bringing together filmmakers and movie stars from the ASEAN region.

The three day event culminates in the glamorous Gala Nite finale, where the best film productions in the region are announced.

Another interesting award is the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to an ASEAN film personality who has broken the international barrier and contributions to the film industry.

The three day programme can be read here…

Other Events

8th Association of Southeast Asia Pain Societies Congress

Sarawak Harvest and Folklore Festival

The 8th International Bornean Frog Race 2019

Borneo Coffee Symposium

April 6, 2019 @ 8:00 am – April 7, 2019 @ 5:00 pm

The first Coffee Symposium in Borneo will take place from 6 to 7 April,, at the Old Court House in Kuching.

The symposium is organised by Earthlings Coffee Workshop and will bring together a line-up of coffee experts from around the world, from coffee scientists to farmers and estate owners in the industry.

Among the speakers and presenters are Dr. Steffen Schwarz, a veteran of the European Coffee industry, Jacob Mammen who is a 3rd generation planter of the Estates owned by the Mammen family as well as Andres Quantanilla who is a fourth-generation coffee farmer from El Salvador, and many more.

Borneo is in the centre region of the coffee belt where temperatures are best suited for coffee cultivation, and the island has some of the most exotic coffees, including a rare species of Liberica which has a very fruity flavour.

The event organisers are hosting this symposium as part of a movement to push for awareness on Sarawak and Borneo’s potential in the coffee industry, while providing a platform for coffee professionals to exchange information, experiences and ideas, helping local industry players find their place in the bigger picture of coffee.

For more information visit the Earthlings Coffee Workshop website here…

Visit Sarawak Campaign Commemorative Stamp to Launch at MATTA 2019

Two sets of stamps sporting Sarawak themed imagery will be launched on March 15, one of which is the limited edition ‘Visit Sarawak Campaign’ commemorative stamp set with unique imagery designed by the Tourism Board.

Only 400 copies of the commemorative stamps will be available to the public and can be found at the Sarawak Booth number 5058 – 5063 & 5068 – 5073 (Hall 5) at MATTA Fair in PWTC, from March 15 to 17.

The commemorative stamps are accompanied by a special folder featuring some iconic images of Sarawak, with detailed descriptions of the attractions that can be found in Sarawak.

The Board encourages stamp collectors and enthusiasts to come to the booth, where they will receive a stamp set with the purchase a Sarawak package above RM250, or stand a chance to win that stamp set by participating in an Instagram competition at the Sarawak Booth.

Among activities at the booth are a Photo Booth Instagram Contest, puzzle games and Rubik’s cube game.

Aside from games, the Sarawak booth at MATTA will also feature a virtual reality display, musical performances by local Sarawakian band Meruked, food sampling and tuak tasting, as well as ‘Show & Tell’, featuring sago worms, local fruit and pepper plants.

16 Sarawak partners will be attending the Fair, namely Amogha Tours & Travel, Borneo Happy Farm, Borneo Highlands Hornbill Golf & Jungle Club Berhad, Brighton Travel & Tour, CPH Travel Agencies, Great Leap Tours, Greatown Travel Sdn. Bhd., Hotel Grand Continental Kuching, Inter-Continental Travel Centre, Kuching Holidays & Car Rental, Mega Hotel, Miri, Sunshine Joytour Borneo, Tanahmas Hotel Sibu, Tourism & Hospitality Group, SEDC Sarawak, Tropical Adventure Tours & Travel, and Tune Hotel Waterfront Kuching.

There are great deals on offer at the Sarawak booth, with packages as low as RM230 and great discounts up to 30%, offering tour options throughout Sarawak.

Rainforest World Music Festival Promotional Video wins Golden City Gate Award

The Rainforest World Music Festival’s (RWMF) promotional video has won the Golden City Gate 2019 five-star Award at the ITB Berlin 2019, a leading international annual tourism trade event.

The video entitled “Awakening of the Rainforest” produced by a local production house, Asa Esa won the International Tourism Film and Multimedia category for event category.

The making of the two-minute promotional video was inspired by Mother Nature’s bountiful gift.

Held for the 19^th time the award’s jury session was held on February 12, 2019 with more than 100 entries from 21 countries received for the competition.

“We will be celebrating the festival’s 22^nd edition in 2019 and we hope that the award will be an inspiration for us to move on to make the festival bigger and better this year” CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said during the award ceremony.

On hand to receive the award from the President of Golden City Gate, Wolfgang Jo Huschert was the Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at a ceremony held at the Malaysian Pavilion at the Messe Berlin here yesterday.

Picture shows Datuk Karim (third from left) with the award citation which he received from Jo Huschert and Mrs. Huschert (second right). Also seen from left is CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor and Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Lee. Seen partly hidden, Chairman of STB Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab. Also seen at right is Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Hii Chang Kee.

Sarawak to Pursue Connectivity despite Setbacks

Assistant Minister for Tourism, Datuk Lee Kim Shin assured that Sarawak will continue to pursue connectivity to international airport hubs despite recent flight cancellations in the state, at the ROUTES Asia 2019 event in Cebu, Philippines.

“It is not easy to convince airlines especially foreign carriers to Sarawak as there are equally attractive destinations that they can look at”, he said.

We are trying our very best and the ROUTES Asia 2019 sessions here has been a touch point to meet up with airline companies in the regions and we want to convince them that connectivity into Sarawak can be a viable business, he added on March 12, the Sarawak team met up with four more airline operators.

Acknowledging that connectivity must be propelled by sufficient number of travellers, tourists and holiday makers, Datuk Lee said it must also be complemented by business travels and as such conducive business environment and attractive destination’s tourism products were sought for by airlines operators he explained.

ROUTES Asia, the region’s leading meetings of airlines and airport executives started on March 10 and ended on March 12^th.

Datuk Lee (right) presenting the Gunung Mulu National Park coffee table book to Min Yao, Director of International Planning of China Express Airlines. Seen from left is STB’s Chief Executive officer, Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor and China Express’s International Business Manager, Meng Ling.

First Asia Pacific Orchid Conference in Malaysia

The 13th Asia Pacific Orchid Conference (APOC13) will be held for the first time in Malaysia, and will take place at the BCCK in Kuching on July 24 to 28.

APO13 draws participants from over 14 countries, with orchid shows and conferences that cater to both avid orchid growers, and casual admirers of the beautiful flowers.

An array of interactive programs have been lined up for the APOC13 which include conference, various orchid competitions, exhibition, horticulture, agriculture, and food bazaars, APOC quiz, children drawing / colouring competition, musical bands, orchid run and many more.

The Orchid Show will take place from 24 to 28 July, with display competitions, exhibition booths and workshops where amateurs can learn about the dedicated care that goes into orchid cultivation from professionals.

The conference takes place from July 25 to 26, and registration is still open to the public.

APOC’s objective is to achieve an international cooperation for trend in development and conservation of orchids in the Asia Pacific Region. For more information on APOC13 programmes, visit their website here…

The Dendrobium Laila, named after the beloved late Puan Sri Laila Taib, wife of Sarawak former Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, in tribute to her in memory of her love for orchids.

Sarawak to Attend Trade Shows in China

The Sarawak Tourism Board will be participating in two events in Jiangsu Province in the month of March.

From March 8 to 10, the board will attend the B2B and B2C events at the Suzhou International Travel Fair 2019 (SITF2019), held at the Suzhou International Expo Center.

SITF2019 theme this year is “Quality Culture Travel, Multi Experience”, well in line with the Visit Sarawak Campaign attraction themes of Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals, as well as the campaign’s focus on experiential tourism.

Shortly after SITF2019, the Board will be attending the Malaysia Tourism Promotion B2B Seminar in Nanjing on March 12.

20 to 25 Malaysia sellers will be participating I this seminar and B2B table talk sessions, promoting their products to the local agents from Nanjing and Jiangsu Province, as well as the Wuxi, Changzhou, Nantong and Xuzhou regions.

Danu Lake Festival (Pesta Tasik Danu Serian) 2019

April 5-7

The Pesta Tasik Danu is an annual event and first started in 2018, aims to promote the beauty of the lake as well as to enhance the economy of the local community.

Among the activities that will be held at the festival are water-based event such as kayaking, tug of war, duck catching, food fair, exhibitions, Lake Danu Beauty Pageant as well as ‘Pentas Rakyat’ or ‘People’s Stage’.

Serian is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Kuching City.

Other Events

8th Association of Southeast Asia Pain Societies Congress

Mukah Kaul Festival 2019

AIFFA 2019

Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari

April 5-7

A two-day rafting competition held along the Rejang River, the Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari has been a yearly anticipated event in the area since its inaugural event in 1996.

This competition has five main categories: Men’s Bamboo Open, Men’s Bamboo Closed (Inter-Department) and Women’s Bamboo Open, as well as the mixed Free Style and Paddle Boat.

This event is to remind people of the importance of water transport in the past of Sarawak as well as the present, particularly in places where road networks have not yet reached.

“No Smoking” Policy in Sarawak effective March 1

As of March 1, the national no-smoking policy in eateries throughout Sarawak will take effect.

For the first six months of implementation, the punishments will be ‘educational’, with officers issuing warning letters to those who smoke in non-smoking areas.