Borneo Cultures Museum Attracts Over 54,000 Visitors in First Quarter; Total Visitors Since Opening Surpasses 1.59 Million

(Kuching, 21st) The Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) continues to strengthen its status as a leading cultural attraction, recording 54,036 visits in the first three months of 2026.
Datuk Seri Abdul Karim, Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, noted that this brings the total number of visitors since the museum’s opening on March 9, 2022, to 1,594,170.
“Encouragingly, BCM has already become an international tourism destination, attracting visitors from 163 countries.”
“As of now, international visitors have exceeded 83,525, clearly demonstrating Sarawak’s cultural heritage has strong competitiveness on the global stage.” He made these remarks last night (April 20) while officiating the opening ceremony of the Brooke Dockyard Industrial Heritage Museum in the city center.

He added that besides BCM, there are currently 19 museums and exhibition halls in operation throughout Sarawak, including the Islamic Heritage Museum, Chinese History Museum, Miri Petroleum Museum, Sri Aman Heritage Museum, Baram Regional Museum, and others.
He said that all museums and exhibition halls under the Sarawak Museum Department (JMS) recorded a total of 93,858 visits in the first quarter of 2026.
He pointed out that today’s museums are no longer limited to permanent exhibitions, but also play an important role in connecting local communities with world-class art installations.
He cited, for example, large-scale 3D installation exhibitions launched in collaboration with British artist Luke Jerram—such as “Museum of the Moon” (Bulan), “Gaia (Earth)” (Gaia), and “Helios (Sun)” (Helios)—which have garnered significant public attention and attracted thousands of visitors.

He added that the Sarawak Museum is also gradually evolving into a center for knowledge and academic exchange through strategic international collaborations with institutions such as National Geographic, the British Museum, and the University of Debrecen in Hungary.
He mentioned that regional cooperation further strengthens this ecosystem, including close partnerships with the National Gallery Singapore, the Malay Heritage Centre, the Heritage Conservation Centre, as well as various local institutions.