Sarawak Jungle Food

Sarawakian jungle food made the way it is supposed to be

The natural resources of the rainforests are a source of livelihood for the natives of Sarawak, and people back in the old days came up with various cooking methods and jungle food which are still put to practice to this day. Sarawakian ethnic tribes would utilize any resources found in their surrounding.

Sarawak, the jungle is your kitchen. Pic: Shutterstock
The jungle can literally be their kitchen. By using mother nature’s earthly elements and resources, Sarawakians can pull off all sorts of dishes that are deemed meals made for the gods.

Sarawak cuisine and its long traditional cooking methods have been passed down from one generation to the next. Traditional cuisine is still being served to this day at home, food stalls and restaurants in Sarawak due to its simple recipe and exquisite taste.

Wild ingredients you can find
Fresh ingredients with bold flavours gathered from the jungle. Pic: Shutterstock
In Sarawakian traditional cuisine, the freshness of the ingredients plays an important part in the jungle kitchen.

Other than the common ingredients that are easily found elsewhere like salt, ginger, and pepper, Sarawak has many indigenous ingredients to offer which can only be found in the jungle like tepus, asam paya, nibong, daun jampang and terung asam (local eggplant) to name a few.

Buah dabai (Canarium Odontophyllum) eaten with sugar and soy sauce. Pic: Shutterstock
Aside from the famous wild vegetable midin, buah dabai is also exclusively grown here on the island of Borneo. Buah dabai (Canarium Odontophyllum from the family of Burseraceae) is a native fruit and considered a local olive. Locals would usually eat this with sugar and soy sauce.

These ingredients are available all year round and can be found in local stores.

Anything is possible in the jungle

Mother nature’s very own cooking pot – the bamboo stalk. Pic: queenbalkidz
Now that you know what ingredients and resources are used to make these traditional jungle food, what about the kitchenware? What sort of equipment did the natives use to concoct these dishes back in the old days? With the resources of the jungle, one can get creative.

First off, bamboo is gathered in the wild and used as a pot to cook. Bamboo is also used to store and carry the ingredients around in the jungle. The versatility of the bamboo stalk does not stop there – it also acts as a cup.

Go green – use isip leaves instead of plates. Pic: Farah Waganer
And then there are the isip leaves which are used as a plate like the banana leaves platter in local mamak cafes. Not only that, the isip leaves are also used to wrap rice so that the rice packs can be carried around and consumed anywhere.

Besides isip leaves, the sago tree barks are used as bowls to serve dishes in larger portions, and these choices of natural tableware are environmental-friendly.

Innovate with Mother Nature

Being crafty with your surrounding is important when you are cooking in the jungle. Pic: Dylan
As for traditional cooking methods in Sarawak, the methods commonly practiced are fermentation, boiling and smoked cooking.

Take ayam pansuh for example, chicken is stuffed in a bamboo stalk and cooked over an open fire. The bamboo is continuously rotated to avoid burning.

The umai – get the one with ikan parang (Dorab wolf-herring). Pic: Dylan
Another example is umai, a traditional delicacy made of thinly sliced raw fish fermented with asam paya (swamp fruit), lime juice, onions, chilies, and a pinch of salt. The lime juice acid works into the raw fish naturally curing the fish. Be sure to use a fish of good grade for better quality.

As for smoked cooking, locals prefer this method to cooking over the fire as it requires less wood, and the fire itself is controlled to avoid any unwanted fire hazards in the jungle.

The Sarawak rainforest is more than just a jungle – it is also the biggest kitchen in the world

Despite the technological advancement made in kitchen, traditional cooking in Borneo is very much alive and is still in practice to this day. Cooking traditional Sarawak food requires a delicate touch, patience and innovative thinking using the natural elements from the surrounding. With Sarawak’s rich biodiversity, there are also various types of produce found in the jungle that have health benefits.

If you are keen to learn more about Traditional Sarawak jungle food, be sure to check out this article; https://sarawaktourism.com/story/sarawak-is-more-than-just-kolo-mee/ listing out the traditional cuisine that you can find in Sarawak.

Sarawak in The Spotlight at The PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2021

A screen shot of STB Chairman YB Dennis Ngau giving his welcoming remarks for vPDMF 2021.
Kuching was chosen as the featured destination in the virtual Pasific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Destination Marketing Forum 2021, held on 25th – 26th November 2021, which gathered the top minds in destination marketing and management across Asia Pacific.

Themed ‘Experiences that Inspire’, about 700 delegates from 62 countries attended the two-day virtual event and had the opportunity to view virtual tours across Sarawak, as well as presentations and panel discussions on the latest topics in destination marketing and management.

Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board said, “We are heartened to be the featured destination for the Virtual PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2021. Blessed with breath-taking natural wonders, rich cultural heritage and hidden gems sprinkled throughout its vast lands, Sarawak is an unrivalled adventure into nature, history, and culture.”

“It was a privilege for us to share the uniqueness of our state with industry players from across Asia Pacific. Through virtual tours, we were also able to offer delegates an immersive experience to showcase Sarawak’s culture, adventure, nature, food, and festivals.”

Supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Sarawak and the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), the event builds upon the global movement towards purposeful travel, wherein visitors share a vision of doing more for themselves and others.

“The tourism industry will never be the same. Therefore, our efforts are to build and create a sustainable tourism with the global movement towards purposeful travel, for visitors to take ownership of their travel experiences so we can create a bigger impact for destinations and communities.”

“We believe education begins from home. Thus, we are continuously educating our stakeholders at all levels on sustainable tourism through engagement sessions and forums so they understand that responsible tourism will create a better future for people, planet and profit,” Sharzede added.

At the forum, delegates also had the opportunity to win attractive travel packages via photography contests and quizzes. This included the coveted Grand Prize of a 3-day 2-night trip to Miri valued at USD1,500.

STB will continue actively participate in B2B and B2C virtual events such as the PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2021 to bridge a gap and continuously update their tourism partners with Sarawak’s products and experiences.

The forum also featured a special presentation on the RWMF helmed by Datu Aloysius Dris, one of the pioneers of the festival and Robert Basiuk, who helped co-found the event. During the session, Datu Aloysius Dris said, “RWMF is an event that was timely when it was first introduced. We were thinking about creating a homegrown festival that is authentically Sarawakian in nature. Although we had little knowledge on running a festival, we were ambitious to share what we have with the world. With the first festival, we decided to zero in on the Sarawak Cultural Village, which was already an iconic tourist spot in Sarawak. Everyone involved put their heart into the festival, and we had good response from audiences.”

Robert Basiuk added that the festival came about after several discussions with a Canadian musicologist, Randy Raine-Reusch. “He told me that me that Sarawakian music fit into a new genre of music called world music. We then discussed the possibility of Sarawak having an annual music festival and to test the idea, a group of local musicians were formed to take Sarawak music to the world stage at the World Music Expo festival in Marseilles, France.”

For more information about Sarawak, log on to Sarawak Tourism Board’s website: https://sarawaktourism.com.

STB to Participate in Dubai Expo 2020

KUCHING, 24th December 2021 – Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) will be organising a series of tourism presentations and activities to showcase Sarawak as the leading and preferred ecotourism destination during Ecotourism Week at the Malaysia Pavilion in Dubai Expo 2020 in UAE from 26th December 2021 to 1st January 2022.

Aptly named as “Ecotourism Week”, it is expected to attract tour agencies, potential investors, business interests alike and international visitors as STB will be promoting Sarawak’s ecotourism, nature and adventure products through engagement sessions at Malaysia’s Rainforest Canopy Pavilion, inspired by the country’s majestic rainforests.

Among the promotional activities planned is a Destination Sarawak Talk Show which will be held on 30th December 2021 with potential buyers and media as the target audience. During this talkshow, STB will be highlighting the uniqueness of Sarawak’s Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF).

The talkshow will also emphasise on STB being one of the tourism agencies in Malaysia to involve their tourism stakeholders on committing to the Responsible Tourism pledge that focuses on 3Es – Environmental Protection, Empowering Communities through Education, and Economic Viability and Impact.

This is in line with STB’s efforts in advocating Responsible Tourism based on its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) focus, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG17 (Partnership for the Goals).

The Dubai Expo 2020, the first to be held in the Middle East region and the third largest global event in terms of economic and cultural impact after the Olympics and the World Cup, is held from 1st October 2021 until 31st March 2022 with 192 participating countries and is expected to attract 25 million visitors. Originally scheduled in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, the organisers maintained the name ‘Dubai Expo 2020’ for marketing and branding purposes.

With the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, the expo is divided into three compelling districts – Mobility, Opportunity and Sustainability – that presents the diversity of culture, art, entertainment of different nations in the world in a futuristic approach.

STB Chief Executive Officer Sharzede Datu Hj Salleh Askor said STB’s participation in Dubai Expo is a golden opportunity to put Sarawak at visitors’ top of mind when it comes to ecotourism and responsible tourism in the ASEAN region.

“Considering the scale of this expo and the number of potential engagements, STB aims to strengthen Sarawak’s visibility worldwide despite the pandemic”, she said.

“I believe that there is great potential to encourage Middle East visitors to make Sarawak their stopover destination when travelling to Malaysia. The Dubai Expo 2020 will make a great platform for us to diversify our market into United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to do business networking and to introduce the varieties of ecotourism-based tours and products,” she added.

The Ecotourism Week at the Malaysia Pavilion showcase will be launched by Malaysian Minister or Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato’ Sri Nancy Hj. Shukri on 29th December 2021. Malaysia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai is spearheaded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation as implementing agency.

Malaysia is hosting 26 weekly thematic trade and business programmes throughout the six-month global expo, which will be led and supported by 21 ministries, 70 departments and agencies and five state governments.

For more information about Sarawak, log on to Sarawak Tourism Board’s website: https://sarawaktourism.com.

STB Announces Winners to “Sarawak: A Journey Awaits” Photography and Videography Competition

KUCHING, 10th December 2021 – Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) today announced the winners of its’ inaugural Photography and Videography competition in collaboration with Sarawak Photo-Art Society (SPAS) with the theme “Sarawak: A Journey Awaits”.

Hu Toh Kai was the overall champion for photography with his entry, “Dragon Dancing in Siniawan”. Hu’s snapshot of Chap Goh Meh being celebrated in Siniawan Old Town,which featured a vibrant red dragon juxtaposed against the bare wooden backdrop of Siniawan’s iconic shophouses, was also the first-place winner in the ‘Culture’ category.

(L-R) Sharzede, Hii, and Liew with the competition’s Grand Prize winner Hu Toh Kai (2nd from left).
According to the head judge of the competition, artist and lecturer Sylvester Jussem, Hu’s winning photograph provided an interesting composition of subject placement, effective use of the surrounding and background, and projected the uniqueness of the subject, movement, colour quality in the midst of subtle lighting and the individuality of the photo.

“Within the entries, we saw a wide range of interpretations of the local scenes in Sarawak. From very different, private points of view, to points of view that revealed ideas that were too common – there was a lot of reflection of personal narratives,” he added.

For the Videography category, Paul Anis won RM10,000 for his winning entry on capturing life in idyllic but beautiful Bario through the eyes of a young man, while Chai Teck Hua came second place (RM8,000) and Fitzpatrick Ricky Guing, came third (RM6,000).

(L-R) Sharzede, Hii, and Liew with the 1st place winner for the videography category Paul Anis. (2nd from left).
In recognition of local young talents in photography and videography, the Special Student Awards for photography went to Jason Teo Jia Hong and Lee Le Yong for videography respectively. Both won RM2,000 in the student category.

Together with Sylvester, the judging panel comprised five hand-picked judges coming from diverse backgrounds, namely senior lecturer at the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Dr Teo Miaw Lee; SPAS President Liew Ted Ghee; veteran filmmaker and musician Dr Kamil Salem; and STB Director of Communications Margaret Apau, who reviewed 1,652 photos and 45 videos entries featuring Sarawak’s Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festival elements at its best.

Hii, Sharzede and Liew (centre) with all the winners of the Sarawak Tourism Board’s A Journey Awaits Photography Contest 2021
The list of winners in the STB’s Photography and Videography 2021 competition categories are as follows:

Grand Prize Winner
“Dragon Dancing in Siniawan” by Hu Toh Kai (RM5,000)

Culture Category Winners
1st place – Hu Toh Kai (RM3,000)
2nd place – Ling Leh Ping (RM2,000)
3rd place – Peter Lee Pui Weng (RM1,000)

Adventure Category Winners
1st place – Ling Leh Ping (RM3,000)
2nd place – Aaron Sim Jun Chiek (RM2,000)
3rd place – Wong Siong Hang (RM1,000)

Nature Category Winners
1st place – Isaac Liew (RM3,000)
2nd place – Hu Toh Kai (RM2,000)
3rd place – Wilson Chiam Tak Chee (RM1,000)

Food Category Winners
1st place – Tho Sai Wai (RM3,000)
2nd place – Hii Kin Hua (RM2,000)
3rd place – Edwin Ong Wee Kee (RM1,000)

Festival Category Winners
1st place – Peter Lee Pui Weng (RM3,000)
2nd place – John Lai Teck Kee (RM2,000)
3rd place – Tan Song Wei (RM1,000)

STB Chairman Dennis Ngau extended his heartiest congratulations to all the winners of STB’s “Sarawak: A Journey Awaits” Photography & Videography competition for their efforts, dedication and skills in documenting Sarawak.

“As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words, and this is especially true when it comes to a place as scenic and beautiful as Sarawak. Our picturesque landscape with unique flora and fauna, our multifaceted cultures, our adventures in motion, our gastronomy splendour and iconic festivals offers an array of content for photography and videography enthusiasts everywhere,” he added.

The competition was launched on 9th November 2021 and ended on 30th November 2021. All winning photographs will be updated to a digital exhibition at a later date.

Calendar – Upcoming Events

23rd December 2021

SARAWAK– Visitors to Sarawak will be in for a treat with the recent announcement by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) on its upcoming plans with responsible tourism being the foundation of tourism activities next year.

Among the upcoming activities, the line-up for next year includes the expansion of the homegrown Sia Sitok Sarawak Brand by STB with more interesting travel packages added for visitors to have a 360-degree experience of Sarawak’s Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festival (CANFF) elements.

In addition to that, with more exciting new Sarawak products to be revealed soon, STB announced that there will be 9 Sarawak Product Experience (SPE) excursions to discover the opening of new places to the visitors.

Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board said, “In 2022, we will continue our efforts to promote key campaigns such as the Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home programme, various airline collaboration packages as well as our initiatives in responsible tourism and eco-tourism, so, stay tuned to a fruitful 2022!”

“We will also continue to work closely with Divisional Tourism Task Group (DTTG), local communities and homestays for our outreach programmes to empower them and extend their skillsets by organizing more workshops,” she added.

Recently, Sarawak Tourism Board engaged and celebrated with 300 members of the media through its Media Appreciation nights throughout Kuching, Sibu and Miri.

The event was graced by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Sarawak, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, together with Chairman of Sarawak Tourism Board, YB Dennis Ngau, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Sarawak, Mr Hii Chang Kee and Deputy Chairman along with Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of STB and their Board of Directors.

Throughout the media appreciation nights, members of the media enjoyed fun games and participated in lucky draws to take home attractive prizes. Held annually, the media appreciation night aims to celebrate media members and thank them for their efforts to increase visibility and awareness of Sarawak to the world.


Visit smm2h.sarawaktourism.com for more information on the Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home programme

Minister Urges Sarawakians To Discover Tourism Attractions In Their Own Backyard

Minister Urges Sarawakians To Discover Tourism Attractions In Their Own Backyard

KUCHING – Sarawak Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, together with an entourage from the Ministry, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) visited Bako National Park and Pulau Lakei on 2nd October 2021 as Sarawak entered the second day where tourism attractions in the state are allowed to resume operations.

The working visit started with a tree-planting session led by YB Dato Seri Karim at the new Bako Terminal, accompanied by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Permanent Secretary Mr. Hii Chang Kee, STB CEO Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor and SFC CEO Zolfkipli Mohamad Aton.

After a 20-minute boat trip from the terminal to Bako National Park, the visitors went on a walkabout at the park’s circular Ulu Assam trail and were briefed on the geological rock formations and vegetation that is found within the park’s vicinity.

The visit continued with another 20-minute boat-trip to Pulau Lakei where the group ascended a wooden staircase to visit mausoleum of Datuk Haji Ibrahim, a well-respected man who resided on the island more than three centuries ago. Next stop was the small natural pool, Salamun Pond, where it is believed Ibrahim engraved writings resembling Arabic calligraphy on the sandstone with his bare fingers, before reaching the Pa-Amit Cape viewing point where one can get some absolutely stunning views of the Bako-Buntal Bay area.

YB Karim said the working visit by the Ministry and the relevant tourism agencies was to make sure that the facilities and services at Sarawak tourist attractions are well-maintained and ready to receive visitors after ceasing operation due to the pandemic.

“As tourism operation resumes, this is a good opportunity for Sarawakians to discover and enjoy the wonderful tourism attractions in their own backyard to revive from lockdown fatigue”, he said.

“As majority of boat operators here in Bako are from its’ local community, the increasing number of visitors to the park will help elevate their livelihood that may have been affected due to the pandemic,” he added.

YB Karim also urged Sarawak tour operators to work hand-in-hand with the Ministry and its tourism agencies to promote all the amazing tourism products that Sarawak has to offer to domestically, and also to the international market to create a travelling demand to the state once the borders are open.


YB Dato Seri Karim (front) with SFC CEO Encik Zolkipli upon arrival at Bako National Park. Also seen in the picture is STB CEO Puan Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor (orange jacket).


Dr. Ramli from SFC giving a briefing on the vegetation and plants that are found at the park.


The view that welcomes visitors once they set foot on the shores of Bako National Park.


A group photo to end the trip with YB Karim, Mr. Hii Chang Kee, En. Zolkipli and Puan Sharzede.

STB wins WTM World Responsible Tourism Award

STB wins WTM World Responsible Tourism Award



KUCHING – The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) and Borneo Jazz Festival (BJF) virtual experiences organised by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), was recently named as the ‘One to Watch’ by WTM Responsible Tourism Awards 2021.

Open to four regions (Africa, India, Latin America and the Rest of the World), the awards recognise excellence in responsible tourism, and selected RWMF and BJF in the Destinations Building Back Better Post-Covid category.

These first-of-their-kind events in the region were streamed live on multiple online platforms and on TV channels, providing a platform for local performers to showcase their culture and heritage.

STB also partnered with Shopee and GrabFood to provide retailers an opportunity to market and sell authentic Sarawakian food and tourism products such as handicrafts and souvenirs, to local audiences. Viewers were able to watch the performances, interviews and flashbacks and engage in conversation with other online users throughout the 90-minute event as well as watch workshops from previous years from the virtual Bidayuh, Iban, Chinese and Malay houses at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Upon the completion of the shows, a total of 402,865 people from 79 countries had tuned in for the RWMF and 244,637 from 43 different countries had tuned in for BJF. Leveraging on this global audience to promote responsible tourism, STB launched two responsible tourism videos during the virtual experience to educate viewers on the importance of responsible and sustainable tourism.

For more information on the festivals, visit rwmf.net and jazzborneo.com

Virtual PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2021



As DMOs across the globe continue to rebrand from destination marketing organisations to embrace the importance of being destination management organisations, the Virtual PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2021 celebrates this trend with the theme of ‘Experiences that Inspire.’

Join Virtual PATA Destination Marketing Forum for insights on key issues in marketing and managing tourism growth.

Nov 24, 1 PM – Nov 26, 3:30 PM (GMT+8 Malaysia)
(Nov 24, 10:30 AM – Nov 26, 1 PM (GMT+5.5 India) | Nov 24, 12 PM – Nov 26, 2:30 PM (GMT+7 Thailand) | Nov 24, 3 PM – Nov 26, 5:30 PM (GMT+10 Sydney))



Tickets are offered on a first-come-first-served basis – secure yours right away!

Message from Sarawak Tourism Board:

Mass tourism is giving way to travel’s new normal, where travellers coming out of the pandemic will be looking to make meaningful engagements and emotional connections at their destination of choice. Sarawak Tourism Board warmly welcomes tourism industry stakeholders to explore this rising trend together in the upcoming Virtual PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2021, themed ‘Experiences that Inspire.’

Supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Sarawak and the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), Sarawak, Malaysia is proud to host this two-day event, which will be building upon the global movement towards purposeful travel.

As a destination that is thriving with Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF), Sarawak’s tourism industry is committed to responsible tourism, to safeguard its wealth of tangible and intangible heritage while making Sarawak a better place to live and a better place to visit for generations to come.

Programme Highlights:



Moving Beyond Destination Marketing to Destination Management

Before the pandemic, we saw tourism boards making a move away from just destination marketing and expanding their role to destination management. Post-pandemic, will that continue? Why is it important? What does that mean? Who is doing it best? And what are the implications for stakeholders? Find the answers through the conference!



Shinta Mani Wild: How One Hotel Changed a Destination

An interview with Bill Bensley, a landscape architect, architect, and interior designer who has designed over 200 hospitality projects in 50 countries including the Shinta Mani, a tented camp in remote Cambodia that helped elevated the game for Cambodia and helped to create a luxury circuit in a traditionally backpacker market. Join the event to learn how other destinations can replicate Shinta Mani Wild’s success!



Sarawak Virtual Tours

Enjoy the beauty of Sarawak, Malaysia through a number of virtual tours streamed live from the peaceful island with diverse experiences to offer! Adventure along the Semadang River, discover the Melanau culture in the ancient village, and try out the local desserts! Join the virtual tours to satisfy your desire for travel and win some exciting prizes!

Take a sneak peak >



Case Studies on Asia Pacific Destinations

Witnessing the recovery of Maldives, and the opening of Thailand and its pilot programme- the Phuket Sandbox, what are the learnings we can gain from these destinations? With responsible travel’s rising importance for consumers in the post-COVID era, what is the current situation of sustainability in the Asia Pacific region? Join these case study sessions to hear from expert panelists!

and more…

See the full programme >

Thanks to the generous support of our partners and sponsors, visitor registration is open to PATA International Members, Chapter Members, and Non-Members.

Tickets are offered on a first-come-first-served basis – secure yours right away!



For inquiries, please email [email protected]

Post-event recordings will be available exclusively to PATA International Members.
Please note that certificates will not be provided to delegates of this event.

STB Launches Photography and Videography Competition

STB Launches Photography and Videography Competition


 Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) has launched its very first photography and videography competition, to celebrate the power of art and creativity, in showcasing the beauty and uniqueness of Sarawak.

Themed, ‘Sarawak, a Journey Awaits’, the competition is open to all Malaysians nationwide beginning today until 30 November 2021. All materials submitted must be recent, no more than three years old. All entries must capture Sarawak’s culture, adventure, nature, food and festival (CANFF) and accompanied with a short description or caption.

Puan Sharzede Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board said, “Artistic platforms such as photography and videography remind us how connected we all are on this planet, and allows us to engage with Malaysians from all walks of life, in a creative manner.”

“For the past year, much of our time has been apart. In this time, Sarawak has continued to thrive and remains one of the most unique destinations in Malaysia. We encourage Malaysians to take this opportunity to share their personal perspectives of Sarawak, especially in highlighting the vibrancy and authenticity of the state.”

“We look forward to discovering Malaysians’ take on Sarawak’s culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals, and urge them to grab their cameras and showcase the state in all its multifaceted splendour!”

The judging mechanism will be decided by a panel of handpicked judges. Each participant can submit up to five photographs in each of the categories and one video for the competition. All materials are authorised under the copyright of Sarawak Tourism Board with credit given to the photographer/videographer where applicable.

Winners of the photography and videography competition will be announced on Sarawak Tourist Board and Sarawak Photo Art Society’s Facebook and website https://stb.foto.org.my/ or www.spas.com.my/. A prize-giving ceremony will be organised in due course.

Photograph/Video Requirements

  • Submitted photographs should be in jpg format 8”x12” x 300dpi and without watermarks.
  • The video entries should have a maximum duration of three
  • All submissions must be compliance to the Rules and Regulations of the competition. Entry that minutes in mp4 format of 4K resolution 16:9 format using drone or other videography equipment such as handphones.
  • All submissions can be uploaded to https://stb.foto.org.my/
  • Does not follow the terms and conditions will be disqualified.
Prizes
Photography Videography
Grand prize winner – RM5,000
Prizes for each category

First prize – RM3,000
Second prize – RM2,000
Third prize – RM1,000
10 Consolation prize – RM100
1 x special student award – RM2,000		 First prize – RM10,000
Second prize – RM8,000
Third prize – RM6,000
Special student award – RM2,000
For more information on the contest, visit https://stb.foto.org.my/

Sarawak Tourism Players Attend WTM London 2021

Sarawak Tourism Players Attend WTM London 2021



KUCHING – Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) along with 10 local travel and tour operators will be participating in WTM Virtual London, the annual global travel market via a virtual Sarawak stand housed in Waterfront Hotel from 8th-9th November 2021.

The participation which echoes STB’s continuous effort to increase Sarawak’s visibility presents an opportunity for local industry players to network with trade buyers and media across the globe. STB also took part via a physical booth in WTM London from 1st – 3rd November 2021 in ExCel London.

The 10 local travel and tour operators involved are Authentic Borneo Tours, Borneo Adventure, Brighton Travel & Tours, Cat City Holidays, CPH Travel Agencies, Greatown Travel, Ecogreen Holidays, Happy Trails Borneo Tours, Minda Nusantara Tours & Travel Agencies, and Paradesa Borneo.

STB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said that since the onset of the pandemic, STB and its tourism partners have tapped further into promoting domestic tourism. With the world’s travel restriction gradually easing up, Sarawak is looking forward to welcome back international travellers.

“The return of international travellers is crucial for our tourism industry’s recovery. Our participation in WTM London will be another step forward to come together with our international tourism partners to see how we can put our heads together to anticipate the needs and wants of a new brand of post-pandemic tourists,” Sharzede said.

With increased focus on responsible tourism especially after the pandemic, Sarawak is also ready to empower its visitors with their niche tourism products to make a positive contribution during their visit such as orangutan conservation works, cycling, birding and many more.

During the event, STB also released their latest destination creatives with the theme “A Journey Awaits”, featuring Sarawak’s geographical and cultural wonders packed with its culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals.

Through the message of healing in the video, Sarawak invites travellers to recover from pandemic fatigue in the state’s wealth of naturally endowed gifts – Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF) – amidst the comfort of Sarawak’s hospitality. The video can also be viewed at STB’s official Youtube channel.

For more information about Sarawak, log on to Sarawak Tourism Board’s website: https://sarawaktourism.com.