KUCHING, April 17: Kuching International Airport (KIA) needs to live up to its ‘international’ title, said Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He called on Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to look into upgrading the airport’s facilities, including providing toilets and beverage kiosks for international departures.
“MAHB should not only focus on Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kuching also has its own international airport with its international travelers.
“KK is also international, we do have international visitors coming into Kuching, (so) we also must look into all that in terms of service,” he told reporters after IMEX 2024’s press conference here today.
According to him, his ministry is looking forward to increasing tourist arrivals come July, and that necessitates a better entry point.
“KIA has much to be desired, from its toilets to its check-in lounges, all these need to be taken into account if we wish to welcome more tourists to Kuching,” Karim lamented.
Commenting further, he also recommended Bako National Park and Semenggoh Wildlife Centre for infrastructure upgrades, as the completion of the Pan Borneo Highway is set to improve connectivity to prospective visitors.
March 2024 saw an upsurge of tourist arrivals to Sarawak, at 438,950 compared to 320,960 last year, with tourists from Brunei making up the highest number.
Sarawak’s tourism sector raked in a revenue of RM1.14 billion on March 2024, a substantial increase to the RM817.75 million revenue in March 2023.-TVS
