Brunei and Sarawak reinforced their cooperation

KUCHING - The Sultanate of Brunei is a fascinating piece of land on Borneo Island, the last independent kingdom. But it still suffers from a lack of image despite a steady increase in promotion over the last decade. However, the name “Brunei” is confusing to many tourists who still believe that the Sultanate is located somewhere in the Middle East. “Working closely with other partners to become a gateway to Borneo could of course help us for positioning. An agreement with Sarawak about strengthening tourism connectivity is a first step. I hope that we can further extend it to cover other parts of Borneo”, tells Brunei Tourism officer Ak Zulkhairi Pg Abdul Razak during the ASEAN Travel Forum in Kuching.

During a meeting between the Minister of Tourism of Sarawak Datuk Amar Abang Johari and Brunei Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya, an agreement has been signed for enhancing tourism connectivity between the sultanate and the northern region of the state. A better cooperation with common projects will be initiated between Miri and Limbang in Sarawak and the Sultanate of Brunei. In return, Brunei could also act as the air gateway to Northern Borneo as it has a full-fledged intercontinental airport with flights connecting Bandar Sri Begawan to Melbourne and London. Eco-tourism products among the three destinations could be a first step. “We then would integrate also Sabah and possibly Kalimantan. However we also need to work out a strategy how to improve our air connectivity with the rest of Borneo. But I am confident that we are heading into this strategy”, adds Ak Zulkhairi Pg Abdul Razak.

Questions were also raised during the Ministers’ meeting about border crossings as some issues remain over the slow process to pass the border especially between Brunei and Miri.
Among the common events which could be promoted is Brunei Bird Race which could get the support of Sarawak. Held in September, the observation race allows fans of doing jungle trekking and watching some of the rarest bird species in Borneo.

After welcoming 233,000 foreign air travellers in 2013, Brunei is expecting to see this number passing the 240,000 mark in 2014, generating revenues of US$ 166.7 million. Brunei’s largest groups of tourists are Malaysians, Chinese and Indonesians.

The country is also gaining in popularity among cruise travellers. Brunei Minister of Industry and Primary Resources reported that the cruise tourism industry experienced a 40% increase in 2012 with 19 calls of 32,318 arrivals to a total of 24 calls with 45,560 arrivals especially with the weekly arrivals of Superstar Aquarius from November 2013 until March 2014. This year, Brunei Darussalam would also be expecting an estimated increase in the number of cruise calls to 37 with 77,029 arrivals. The growth in cruise arrivals had been largely attributed to new cruise developments within the Southeast Asian region.

 Sourced: TravelDailyNews