SINGAPORE, 18 October 2018: A strong sales team from the Sarawak Tourism Board, six travel agencies, travel content owners and hoteliers are attending ITB Asia this week.
Working out of booth C05, at ITB Asia, which is being held through to Friday 19 October at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, team members reported full appointment schedules during the opening day.
Representatives from STB told TTR Weekly the state benefitted this year from an increase in direct flights from ASEAN and also China.
STB officials said they were emphasising to tour operators the added value of booking clients when the state hosts cultural, sports or musical festivals.
At the end of this month visitors from Asia will descend on Kuching’s famous waterfront to watch the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Race
The 26 to 28 October race is billed as one of the most significant annual sporting events in Sarawak, attracting boats from 12 different countries with 29 teams and around 900 crew and support staff.
The Dragon Boat Race has five categories, namely the International Open’s 20 crew, International Open’s 12 crew, International Mixed 12 crew, International Ladies 12 crew and International Master 12 crew.
The total prize money for this year amounts to MYR45,500, while one boat crew will be crowned the “Raja Sungai”, or King of the River.
Apart from the Dragon Boat races, the Kuching waterfront is a popular venue where visitors can snack on local food and wander through clusters of stalls selling handicrafts, check out exhibitions and be entertained by busking performances.
At the show the Sarawak team comprises of industry partners such as Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Straits Central Travel & Tour Agencies, Kuching Holidays & Car Rental, Pullman Miri Waterfront & Pullman Kuching, Greatown Travel, and CPH Travel Agencies.
This year’s ITB Asia claims an attendance of 1,000 exhibitors, 1,000 buyers and over 11,000 delegates from 110 countries across all segments of MICE, corporate and leisure travel.
