Sarawak is awaiting clarification from the federal government over special tourism investment zones announced under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), said state minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said Sarawak has not been formally briefed on its implementation in the state, the Dayak Daily reported. “At the moment, I have to admit that I am quite in the dark myself,” Karim was quoted as saying.
Karim, who is the state minister for tourism, creative industry and performing arts, said: “This has been initiated by the federal government. I’m still trying to understand where exactly these tourism zones are, as far as Sarawak is concerned.
“If the tourism investment zones mentioned include areas like Mulu, Niah, the Kuching Delta, and the Rainforest World Music Festival, then we are indirectly on the same track, it just hasn’t been discussed in more detail,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
“We are ready to cooperate. The important thing is that there’s no overlap, but rather we mutually strengthen the efforts that are being and will be carried out,” he said.
The special tourism investment zones were announced on Thursday by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when tabling the 13MP. He said they would be located in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak.
Anwar said the zones would be jointly developed by the state governments and private sector in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026.
Karim said Sarawak had been actively promoting many of its destinations even without the “imaginary zoning” that the federal tourism ministry had come up with. “But for now, we will continue doing what we have been doing all this while.”
He said the state’s current tourism strategy had already been proven to be successful, with tourism receipts exceeding RM1 billion every month. Sarawak had more or less achieved its target of five million visitors this year, he said.
