sarawak tourism board vacancy 2023

Sarawak Tourism Board is looking for a highly motivated, committed, energetic and vibrant personality to join our team for the following position:

DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GRADE N54

To support the CEO in the overall implementation of best-practice corporate governance, management, organizational structure and procedures, staff development, financial management, and risk management principles of all aspects of the Board’s operations.

Responsibilities:

Overall Organisation Leadership:

• To support the CEO in the overall direction, management and administration of all aspects of the Board’s operations especially on the financial and operating performance in support of the strategic objectives of the Board.

Governance and Board Communications:

• To provide fact-based and documented advice on all matters pertaining to the operations of the Board.
• To contribute to the development and implementation of internal guidelines on governance-related matters.

Financial and General Management:

• To ensure that the financial controls are in place to enable sound financial management practices.
• To manage the Board’s general administration and day-to-day operations.

Human Resource and Organisational Development:

• Together with the CEO, to be responsible for the organisational development and personnel management of all the staffs within the Board.

Requirement:

• 15 years of senior position experiences particularly in financial management, risk management and human capital.
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in related discipline required.
• An outstanding track record of achievement demonstrated through business results.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage and develop a high-performance culture in organisations.
• Knowledge of government regulatory and legal requirements.
• A sense of urgency, results orientation and demonstrated thoughtful but deliberate execution skills.
• Strategic planning exposure is a must.
• High degree of computer literacy.

Interested applicants can email a cover letter and CV including relevant certificates to [email protected]

Deadline for application: 18 January 2021

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The art of selling Sarawak

Yusfida Khalid, acting CEO, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), explains the strategies and initiatives employed by the board to revitalise tourism in the state and discusses how the board has navigated the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and outlines its plans for the future

Our main focus is domestic tourism, in which we introduced Sia Sitok Sarawak (which translates to ‘here’ and ‘there’ in local dialect), a home-grown travel and accommodation campaign to boost local tourism during the pandemic. The campaign ran from 2020 to 2022, and has managed to amass a total revenue amount of 11.2 million ringgit (US$2.4 million) to help energise Sarawak tourism stakeholders towards reinvigorating the industry on the right recovery path.

When Malaysia opened her international borders in April last year, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) revisited some pre-pandemic promotional and marketing initiatives through participation in major consumer trade and consumer travel fairs both locally and internationally, such as MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur, ITB Asia 2022 in Singapore, and World Trade Market in London last year.

What initiatives has STB taken to rebuild and improve air accessibility into the state? Air accessibility has long posed a challenge for the state of Sarawak, impacting its economy and its ability to attract tourists, investors, and businesses from abroad. To address this issue, STB has actively collaborated with airline companies to enhance air connectivity. These collaborations aim to increase the frequency of existing flights to the state and establish partnerships with local tourism stakeholders. These partnerships result in enticing travel packages that encompass both flights and accommodation, effectively promoting Sarawak’s unique cultural and natural beauty through its primary gateways, namely Kuching, Sibu, and Miri.

The efforts have yielded positive results. Direct flights from Singapore and Indonesia have become available, significantly impacting visitor arrivals from these neighbouring countries. In 2022, the number of Singapore arriving during the January to July period was only 9,898. However, in the same time frame in 2023, this figure surged to 32,082. Likewise, for Indonesia, visitor arrivals from January to July in 2022 totalled 71,390, while in 2023, this soared to an impressive 306,591.

The Sarawak state government also recently announced plans to launch its boutique airline, expected to start operations by the end of this year or early next year – this will help stabilise airfares between the Peninsula and Borneo, and further attract international visitors to the state.

What initiatives are being implemented to advance sustainability and responsible tourism? Today’s travellers are increasingly environmentally conscious, prioritising sustainable choices when planning their journeys. This is evident in emerging travel trends, particularly among Gen Z and millennial travellers, who actively seek eco-friendly destinations. This presents unique opportunities for Sarawak to highlight its abundant biodiversity.

Placing a high priority on its sustainability agenda, Sarawak boasts an impressive portfolio of over 60 gazetted Total Protected Areas, including 47 national parks, 15 nature reserves, and five wildlife sanctuaries.

One noteworthy example of STB’s commitment is the iconic Rainforest World Music Festival, which epitomises responsible tourism. Beyond celebrating Sarawak’s musical heritage, the festival serves as a platform to promote responsible practices. These include a long-standing ban on single-use plastic bottles, an emphasis on reusable water bottles, water refill stations onsite, and the use of seed paper for identification tags – paper that contains seeds capable of growing when planted in soil.

Additionally, the festival offers a free shuttle bus service to reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation to and from the festival grounds.

In May 2023, STB and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a joint five-year tree planting programme under the ecoGreenPlanet initiative.

Furthermore, Sarawak’s affiliation with the UNWTO allows STB to actively participate in its ongoing efforts to unite stakeholders in the responsible tourism ecosystem, with a primary focus on sustainability in tourism.

What plans does STB have to promote rural tourism? Over the years, Sarawak has been actively promoting its Community-Based Tourism (CBT) initiatives by collaborating with licensed and registered longhouses in rural areas that are committed to responsible tourism.

STB encourages the adoption of eco-friendly practices for products and services, as well as promotes the use of locally-sourced food and showcasing indigenous handicrafts and arts to provide visitors with an authentic Sarawakian experience.

Tourists participating in CBT programmes have the opportunity to stay with host families, enabling them to immerse themselves in the daily lifestyles of these communities and engage in various activities and authentic experiences.

What are your projections for the state’s regional and international tourist arrivals in the upcoming year? Despite the global economic recession and ongoing political tensions, Sarawak’s tourism industry remains resilient and has displayed remarkable recovery in the post-lockdown period.

In 2022, Sarawak welcomed a total of 2.02 million visitors, generating tourism receipts amounting to 4.96 billion ringgit.

From January to August 2023, Sarawak has already received 2.59 million visitors, contributing 6.58 billion ringgit in tourism receipts.

Building on this promising trend, Sarawak is confident of surpassing its initial target of three million visitor arrivals by early 2023 and is poised to reach an impressive 3.89 million visitors by the end of 2023.

With this robust growth anticipated in 2023, Sarawak aspires to return to its pre-pandemic levels of tourism performance by 2024.

How will STB be tackling the European and South-east Asian travel markets? We aim to leverage the European visitors’ growing interest in sustainability and responsible tourism by showcasing Sarawak’s distinct cultural heritage, adventurous experiences, and natural wonders. Additionally, we are actively participating in prominent marketing events such as WTM London and ITB Berlin to promote Sarawak’s attractions and eco-friendly practices to the European audience.

In the South-east Asian market, we adopt tailored approaches for our three key countries: Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, and Indonesia.

In Singapore, our focus revolves around promoting gastronomy and leisure vacations. For Brunei, our efforts are directed towards visitation for friends and family, while Indonesia sees a special emphasis on health tourism initiatives.

These market-specific strategies enable us to effectively cater to the diverse preferences and interests of travellers from these countries.

Visit Malaysia Year 2026 is coming. How will STB align with this campaign? The STB will assume a pivotal role in positioning Sarawak as a leading eco-tourism destination in synergy with Visit Malaysia Year. Through strategic collaborations with local tourism stakeholders, STB aims to develop specialised tour packages that focus on Sarawak’s unique cultural experiences, eco-tours, adventure activities, and wildlife encounters.

The development of a successful tourism marketing strategy necessitates striking a balance between traditional and digital media channels, particularly with an eye on expanding into international markets. Leveraging the strengths of both approaches allows for reaching a broader audience, creating a lasting impression, and fostering engagement with potential visitors.

Furthermore, in the ongoing efforts to enhance Sarawak’s brand presence, it becomes imperative to harness emerging online platforms to extend the reach and reinforce Sarawak’s identity as the preferred eco-tourism destination. This strategic approach aligns seamlessly with the objectives of Visit Malaysia Year in 2026, making the most of digital avenues to elevate Sarawak’s appeal and visibility on a global scale.

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THE NATURAL SOLUTION | RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

The sarawak tourism story.

Globally, the tourism sector has been recognised as significant driver of economic advancement and job creation. Up till the 2020 global pandemic, the industry accounted for approximately 10% of the global GDP. As travel becomes more accessible, countries have turned to tourism as an imperative source for growth.

Parts of the world that were once hard to reach are now easily accessible. The rise in popularity of social media encourages and inspires people to travel, making the world ‘smaller’ – leading to an increase in tourists, world-over, impacting resources, environment and local communities.

Fortunately, more travellers have been inclined towards sustainable travel experiences, willing to put more effort to travel sustainably. Responsible Travel has now become essential, prompting travellers to consider the impact of their travels on the ecosystem and communities.

Embracing this philosophy, since 2019, the Sarawak Tourism Board (‘STB’) had taken bolder steps towards promoting Responsible Tourism. In line with UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), STB advocates for responsible people, businesses and governments to maximise positive economic, social and environmental impact on tourism. Such steps include introducing homestays in rural areas and those from B40 category to sustainable waste management practices which include recycling and reusing waste materials to create additional products, and skills to earn side income.  To date, STB’s waste management workshops have covered a total of 46 registered homestays since it began in 2020, benefiting 11,779 households with a total of 82,688 beneficiaries, is to provide food for local wildlife while creating a buffer zone for coastal areas.

The ultimate aim is to ensure local communities are able to benefit economically through:

• optimal use of environmental resourcesto maintain essential ecological processes and help conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
• being respectful of the socio-cultural authenticity of communities – conserving cultural heritage and traditional values.
• providing socio-economic benefits – stable employment, income-earning opportunities and social services, towards alleviating poverty.

STB has taken steps to enable visitors and hosts to ensure sustainability is addressed and maintained. Recognising that festivals have massive carbon footprint and the fact that waste generated has one of the most prominent environmental impacts, proactive measures were taken towards creating and implementing a sustainable, eco-friendly festival, for the renowned Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Kuching and Borneo Jazz (BJ) in Miri.

In 2011, in conjunction with RWMF and BJ, STB and Sarawak Forest Department planted trees at the ecologically sensitive Kuching Wetlands National Park, a Ramsar Site. The tree-planting programme complements the festival’s conservation of endangered musical instruments, songs, and dances by raising awareness about conservation efforts and the ecological values of Sarawak’s rich and diverse flora and fauna. Since then, the festival has continued the annual tradition of mangrove tree-planting with the aim.

Together with the Region’s tourism players, STB had embarked on activities which include energy conservation and environmental education, encouraging participation in greening initiatives, upcycling and innovating solutions to waste management – making Responsible Tourism the ‘norm’.

RWMF & BJ may be considered as the benchmark for STB’s Responsible Tourism initiatives reflecting our commitment towards the three United Nation (UN) SDG goals – SDG 4 (Education and Lifelong Learning Opportunities); SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production); SDG 17 (Global Partnerships). The initiatives include:

• Cutting Plastic Footprint – putting in place water-refill stations, encouraging reusable water bottles and making single use plastic, bottled water unavailable at RWMF.
• Sustainable Procurement – sourcing alternative, eco-friendly products, including biodegradable tableware, procured locally, to support local businesses, reduce carbon footprint and saving energy.
• Waste Management – proper disposal management of recyclables containers, provided by a locally based waste management company.
• Fashionable Recycling – to make recycling fun and impactful, collaborative efforts with local creative community resulted in eye-catching waste bins designs.
• Food Composting – collaborative efforts with local social enterprises to collect and channel leftover organic waste into compost bins, for worm farms to make bio-protein and for composting.
• Tradition of tree planting – planting of thousands of mangrove trees since 2011 at the ecologically sensitive Kuching Wetlands National Park, a Ramsar Site, to create a buffer zone for the coastal areas.
• Volunteer & Green Ambassadors – local university students and volunteers among social enterprises, termed “The Eco-warriors”, helped spread recycling and food waste composting messages.
• Alleviating Carbon Emissions and upcycling – shuttle busses were made available to ferry festival-goers to alleviate carbon emission and prevent congestions. Promotional banners from previous years were upcycled into tote bags to be used as gifts and souvenirs.

All these undertakings were aimed at allowing visitors and locals to care for, connect and be mindful of the impact of tourism on destinations and communities – unfolding cultural experiences. This is in line with the aspiration of the Premier of Sarawak for the State to be a ‘leader’ in ‘Responsible Tourism’ – Sarawak’s contribution to peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

This commitment shows that Sarawak takes the global threat of climate change, diminishing natural resources and socio-economic inequalities seriously. Decisive measures to ensure sustainability, viability and hospitality of communities and destinations are built into the policies of the State’s tourism.

Far beyond accolades and recognition, what matters the most is that STB’s collective efforts result in positive perception that “Sarawak has been made a better place for people to live and a better destination for people to visit”. This is our benchmark of success to showcase the Sarawak Responsible Tourism Story.

Safeguarding our unique plethora of culture and multi-ethnic communities; our majestic natural ecosystems; our diverse flora and fauna will ensure there will be continuous ‘Discovery of Sarawak’ for many years to come!

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KUCHING (May 6): Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is set to draw more tourists from the Middle East region through its participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, staged at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) recently.

The four-day event, which concluded on Thursday, had set up the Tourism Malaysia Pavilion.

With the theme ‘Working Towards Net Zero’, STB highlighted sustainable travel trends and created growth plans within key vertical industries, in line with the three United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Quality Education (SDG 4), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), and Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17).

Deputy STB chief executive officer (integrated marketing communications division) Suriya Charles Buas regarded the board’s participation in ATM 2023 as ‘a golden opportunity to put Sarawak at visitors’ top of mind in terms of ecotourism and responsible tourism in the Middle East’.

“I believe Sarawak’s distinctiveness and efforts in upholding the pillars of ‘Responsible Tourism’ serve as a great promotional point to position Sarawak as one of the leading stopover spots in Malaysia,” he said.

Apart from highlighting Sarawak’s culture, adventure, nature, food and festival (CANFF) attractions to tour agencies, potential investors and international visitors, STB also emphasised the promotion of the newly-launched ‘Global Sia Sitok Vacation’ (GSSV) packages and its iconic event, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) set for staging from June 23 to 25 at Sarawak Cultural Village here.

The GSSV campaign invites non-Sarawakians and foreigners to choose from over 140 travel packages and redeem RM100 e-vouchers for purchases over RM250.

Running from now until July 16, the campaign advocates the use of ‘Enjoy Sarawak App’, downloadable via Google Play Store and Apple Apps Store.

The ATM is a premier international travel and tourism trade show that enables inbound and outbound tourism professionals to capitalise on market opportunities in the Middle East.

Promoters of popular tourist destinations from across the world congregate in Dubai to exhibit their brands alongside the major names in accommodation and hospitality, known tourist attractions, cutting-edge travel technology companies, as well as airlines.

The Tourism Malaysia Pavilion at ATM 2023 hosted 64 exhibitors, ranging from hotels, destination management companies, tour operators, and state tourism boards.

For more information, go to https://sarawaktourism.com .

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Sarawak tourism board happy to attend world travel market 2023

Wednesday, November 8, 2023 Favorite

The Sarawak Tourism Board is excited to declare its attendance at World Travel Market 2023, headed by YB Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister. This year signifies an excellent time of progress in tourism and the start of numerous stimulating brand marketing partnerships.

The attention sparkles on Sarawak as it rejoices an exceptional increase in visitor influxes from the UK in the course of the initial nine months of this year. During this time, 18,833 visitors from the UK experienced the appealing allure and reliable eco- tourism contributions of Sarawak. This amazing number indicates an extraordinary 216.74% upsurge in visitor entrances from the UK equated to the equivalent time in 2022 when 5,944 tourists were logged.

YB Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah voiced his eagerness about this significant growth that the rush in UK tourist influxes is evidence to Sarawak’s attraction and its rising reputation as a top-tier travel spot. The minister said that they are keenly expecting taking part with the travel trade and media of the UK at this year’s WTM for taking about their sensational advances and upcoming plans.

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Tags: Sarawak Tourism Board , Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah , World Travel Market 2023

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