Abdul Karim said the official tourism receipt for October 2021 was RM47.48 million, an increase of 11 per cent over the RM42.5 million reported in October 2020. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
KUCHING, Nov 16 — Sarawak recorded 20,926 tourist arrivals in October this year, representing an increase of 14 per cent over the number registered in the same month last year, said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said the official tourism receipt for October 2021 was RM47.48 million, an increase of 11 per cent over the RM42.5 million reported in October 2020.
“During the lockdowns imposed, there was almost zero tourists coming in.
“So now that we have opened our doors since October this year, we can see the number of visitors slowing increasing,” said Abdul Karim during a press conference called after the launch of ‘Sarawak 360 Experience: The Stories from the Heart’ at Kuching Old Court House yesterday.
He said 18,338 tourists arrived in Sarawak in October last year, but from the number, foreign tourist arrivals recorded a drop of 45 per cent to 1,616 for the October period this year, versus 2,967 recorded in same month last year.
“I can understand the drop because there were many travel restrictions and no foreigner would want to be quarantined in a hotel room for the two weeks when travelling to state.”
Domestic tourist arrivals recorded 19,310 visitors last month, versus 15,371 registered in the same month last year – reflecting a growth of 21 per cent,” said Abdul Karim. — Borneo Post