Serian Rafting Challenge Festival 2020

JULY 24 TO 25, 2020

SERIAN – The annual Serian Rafting Challenge Festival 2020 will be held on July 24 to 25, this year, marking its turn in the State’s event calendar to woo local and international participants, aged 18 years old and above.

Organised by the Serian District Council, the 25km race will start from Kampung Tema Mawang and ends at Kampung Tebakang Dayak.

The race will have five categories; Youth Open, Ladies Open, Men Open, Mix Gender (Hotel/Tour agencies) and Mix Gender (Government Department/Agencies), with the minimum of four (4) person in one group.

The registration form can be downloaded at https://seriandc.sarawak.gov.my/.

For information, visit the Official Website for Serian District Council at https://serian.sarawak.gov.my/ or contact +6082-874154.

serian rafting challenge 2020

Spartan Race Sarawak

APRIL 4 TO 5, 2020

KUCHING – Known as the leaders in the sport of obstacle racing, Spartan Race Sarawak will take place on April 4 to 5, 2020 at the Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service, Kuching.

The race is divided into Sprint (5km with 20 obstacles), Super (10km with 25 obstacles) and Spartan Trail (10km and 20km with no obstacles).

It will be the first of the Southeast Asia Regional Qualifiers Series for the World Spartan Race and participants can secure a spot in the Spartan SEA Regional Series 2020 by gathering points during the Super race.

For more information, visit the Spartan Race official website at https://www.spartanrace.my or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/spartanracemalaysia/ for more updates.

Photo shows the participants competing in one of the obstacle races. (Photo by Spartan Malaysia)
Photo shows the participants competing in one of the obstacle races.
(Photo by Spartan Malaysia)

Sarawak Travel Vlog: Borneo’s Traditional Hand-Tapped Tattoo

Sarawak is definitely a place like no other. With ancient histories passed down from generations, crafting the people’s daily life, Sarawak is a destination home to where traditional heritage and culture still lives until today.

Ever wonder why some local tribes have tattoos around their bodies? One might say it is for decoration purposes, but it’s actually more than meets the eye.

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The tattoos tell the stories of the bearer’s life. They can represent knowledge and their life achievements. Tattoos are not just for men as the Iban women have tattoos around their bodies as well.

The tattoo artist uses two sticks, one with a needle attached at the end and the other, a plain piece of stick to tap the one with the needle attached at the end, repeatedly diving the needle into the skin.

Hence, Sarawak Tourism Board will present you another side of Sarawak’s unique culture and heritage, not known to many but is enough to entice tattoo lovers out there.


To know more, check out our Facebook Page, Sarawak Travel, Malaysia Borneo or watch the full video on our Youtube Channel, and stay tune for new episodes bi-weekly.

Sarawak To Make A Presence in ITB Berlin 2020

Sarawak Tourism Board and their travel trade partners will be participating in ITB Berlin on March 4 to 8, 2020 at Messe Berlin, Germany.

The trade partners include Amogha Tours and Travel, Borneo Adventure, Paradesa Borneo (One Wayang Tours), Cove 55, Riverside Majestic Hotel Astana Wing and the Damai Beach Resort.

At the trade show, STB will launch four tourism products, highlighting Sarawak’s unique proposition of Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF). These include the Sibu Swan City Tour, the Trans-Borneo Cycling, the Damai Destination and the launch of the 23rd edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2020, which will be happening in Kuching, Sarawak from 10 to 12 July, at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Sarawak will participate with a bigger space under Tourism Malaysia at Booth 117, Hall 26A. This is to give prominence for the State’s respective branding and to continue its promotion of Visit Sarawak Campaign (VSC), as well as to tie with Visit Malaysia Year 2020.

Sarawak will also showcase few of its cultural heritage such as the Sarawak Tattoo (body art) and Sarawak Cultural dances, along with a Sape musician.

Photo shows Sarawak’s booth during ITB Berlin 2019
Photo shows Sarawak’s booth during ITB Berlin 2019

Sarawak All in One Go!

KUCHING – Sarawak is taking the next step to pursue digital tourism and with the launch of the Sarawak Travel App and Portal, the state’s vision in digitalising the tourism industry is still on track.

The launch ceremony took place at the Imperial Hotel Kuching on February 19, 2020, attended by various government and corporate agencies, as well as the media.

“The digitalisation of the tourism industry aspires to allow seamless travel experience for both domestic and international tourists to Sarawak, which would fit into the State’s Visit Sarawak Campaign”, said the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“It will also showcase Sarawak’s diverse culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals in mobile application and web portal, presenting them through virtual and augmented reality capabilities. The app can act as a virtual guide for tourists, which includes getting information about the destinations, bookings, transactions and reviews about the places they have visited,” he added.

The Sarawak Travel App and Web Portal is a strategic partnership and collaborative effort by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak, the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), and University Malaysia Sarawak, which aims to digitalise major components of Sarawak tourism industry.

The app is now available for download in the mobile apps store.

Sarawak More to Discover App

Congratulation Semenggoh Wildlife Centre!

MIRI – The Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Kuching has been awarded the World Excellence Tourism Awards 2020, under the Sustainable Tourism Programme category.

It was announced by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg during the launch of the Love Hornbills Day, held on February 15, 2020 at the Piasau Nature Reserve, Miri.

“This means that the world recognises us, the state and the government of Sarawak, for our responsibility and concern in nature conservation. This is not just at a Malaysian level, but the whole world. I am very proud and honoured that this award has indicated Sarawak’s success in our orangutan conservation efforts,” he said.

The award will be presented to Sarawak Forestry Corporation in Germany, this March, as a recognition of and to reward those who have contributed to elevating the country’s tourism industry.

Photo shows the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg giving his speech during the Love Hornbills Day 2020. (Photo by UKAS)
Photo shows the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg giving his speech during the Love Hornbills Day 2020. (Photo by UKAS)

Bintulu Mountain Bike Challenge

MARCH 28 TO 29, 2020

BINTULU – The 4th series of Bintulu Mountain Bike Challenge will take place on March 28 to 29, 2020 at the MTB Track in Tanjung Batu, Bintulu.

The event aims to promote Bintulu as a tourist destination in the MTB scene, whilst, to build Sarawak’s image as sports and adventure destination through participation of other states and neighbouring countries.

This challenge is also a platform to produce potential local cycling champions to compete in the international level.

The MTB Challenge has eight categories, which are Men Elite, Veteran (50 & above), Master (40 & above), Junior (21 & above), Bintulu Closed, Fat Bike, XXL (95kg & above) and Women.

For more information and participation, contact Stanley at +60165781319 or Maulana at +60138396841.

bintulu mountain bike challenge

Samarahan Duathlon 2020

MARCH 29, 2020

SAMARAHAN – The Samarahan Duathlon 2020 will be held on March 29, this year at the Summer Shopping Mall, Kota Samarahan.

Organised by the Samarahan District Office, the event consists of a 6km run, followed by a 45km cycling and ending with a 6km run.

Participants will be able to compete in either two categories; individual (men and women open) or team (relay and open).

For more information and details on participation, visit https://www.checkpointspot.asia/Event/EventInfo.aspx?EventCode=ttJW09crBSU%3D

SMRHD20-01

Sibu’s New Urban Green Area: Bukit Lima Nature Reserve

SIBU – Bukit Lima Nature Reserve (BLNR) will be gazetted as ‘Urban Green Area’, as part of Sarawak’s effort in conserving the State’s natural habitat, while developing Sibu town.

It was announced by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at the launching of the World Wetlands Day 2020 on February 8.

“This place will not be used for development; it will be a green area in Sibu. Once we gazette, we will improve the infrastructure here, re-do the drainage around Bukit Lima area and it will become a tourism area”, he added.

Sarawak is one of the states in Malaysia with positive and innovative policies in development plans whereby the government has identified green areas for conservation.

The decision to gazette the area is also part of the effort to educate the people in Sibu, particularly the younger generation on sustainable development.

Photo shows Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (left), Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) Zolkipli Mohamad Aton (right) and others walking along the trail at BLNR. (Photo by The Borneo Post)
Photo shows Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (left), Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) Zolkipli Mohamad Aton (right) and others walking along the trail at BLNR. (Photo by The Borneo Post)

Bringing Home Sarawak’s 40,000 Years of Ancient Civilization

BINTULU – By the end of February, Sarawak hopes to bring back the skeletal remains and ancient relics dug up in Niah Cave, dated over 40,000 years ago, which are kept currently at the University of Florida in the United States.

It was announced by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at the Conference on Asian Linguistic Anthropology (CALA) 2020, held on February 5 to 8, this year.

“It’s exciting, especially for the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak and I’m interested in it. We have a lot to offer in this industry and we have a huge museum, the second largest in Southeast Asia that will be launched in Kuching later this year,” he said.

For many years since Sarawak’s historical heritage has been kept far away from its origin, Sarawak is hoping that with the good deed of University of Florida, they would be able to bring it back, as there are more appropriate universities and museums available in the State now.

“There will also be a signing ceremony for the restoration of Sarawak’s historical heritage by the end of February and there will also be an international conference organized by museums that is more specific to caves and achievements in Southeast Asia by the end of 2020,” he added.

Niah_Caves_-_The_Great_Cave