KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is set for another solid showing, with about 22,000 tickets sold as Sarawak leverages a packed events calendar to boost visitor arrivals and tourism spending.
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said ticket sales were only about two per cent below last year’s figure of 23,000 despite concerns over softer demand.
“I was quite concerned due to the current global situation, as rising fuel costs and airfares were expected to affect those planning to attend this year.
“However, the numbers have not declined significantly,” he said at a press conference on the festival’s opening day at the Sarawak Cultural Village on Friday (June 26).
He said the state had deliberately scheduled several international events over the same period to encourage visitors to extend their stay and take part in multiple programmes.
These include an international tenpin bowling championship in Kuching and a cycling race in Samarahan, allowing visitors to attend more than one event during their visit.
Abdul Karim said festivals such as RWMF should be judged by their broader economic impact rather than their organisation costs, as visitors support hotels, restaurants, transport operators and other tourism-related businesses.
He said Sarawak has recorded tourism receipts of more than RM1 billion every month over the past two years, reflecting the strong contribution of visitor spending to the state’s economy.
“I was quite concerned due to the current global situation, as rising fuel costs and airfares were expected to affect those planning to attend this year.
“However, the numbers have not declined significantly,” he said at a press conference on the festival’s opening day at the Sarawak Cultural Village on Friday (June 26).
He said the state had deliberately scheduled several international events over the same period to encourage visitors to extend their stay and take part in multiple programmes.
These include an international tenpin bowling championship in Kuching and a cycling race in Samarahan, allowing visitors to attend more than one event during their visit.
Abdul Karim said festivals such as RWMF should be judged by their broader economic impact rather than their organisation costs, as visitors support hotels, restaurants, transport operators and other tourism-related businesses.
He said Sarawak has recorded tourism receipts of more than RM1 billion every month over the past two years, reflecting the strong contribution of visitor spending to the state’s economy.