KUCHING: Rural air service provider MASwings Sdn Bhd will offer cheaper fares for flights between Sarawak and other destinations in the country once it is taken over by the state government, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said.
He added that the fares would be determined based on a business model, which he will announce once the takeover is finalised, expected by the end of this year.
"I will not reveal it tonight, otherwise other airlines may know. Airline business is very competitive," he said at the Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Awards (2019-2023) presentation last night.
Abang Johari said the business model will outline how the state government plans to operate the airline.
"If this (take-over)happens, we may see reduction in the airfares and we will be very competitive.
" This is part of our tourism infrastructure," he said.
Abang Johari said since Sarawak is on the island of Borneo, the airline is a bridge connecting the state with Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
Abang Johari said he believes more visitors will come to Sarawak once the state-owned airline becomes operational next year.
The Sarawak Premier also said that the state government considers medical tourism important for the state's economy.
As such, he said, the state government has approved the construction of two private hospitals by IHH Healthcare Bhd in Kuching.
He added one of the hospitals will be located at Tabuan Dayak area while another in Jalan Batu Lintang.
"The state government will also build a new Normah Medical Specialist Centre in Santubong," he said, adding that it will have 300 beds and cost RM300 million.
He said the state government will also build a new enclave of the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) that will be capable of accommodating up to 10,000 people.
He said the present BCCK is not sufficient to hold bigger business events as it can accommodate up to 5,000 people.
Earlier in his speech, Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state recorded 3,289,357 visitor arrivals from January to August this year, an increase of 26.08 per cent compared to the same period of last year.
He said the January-August visitor arrivals generated an estimated RM8.50 billion in tourism revenue, an increase of over 29 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
"Sarawak is on track to surpass our target of 4 million visitor arrivals this year, with an estimated RM10.19 billion in tourism revenue, contributing 7.25 per cent to Sarawak's gross domestic products (GDP),"he said.
He said his ministry forecasts five million visitor arrivals, bringing in an estimated RM12.56 billion in tourism revenue and contributing 8.96 per cent to Sarawak's GDP, next year.
A total of 27 winners from eight main categories and another 27 from sub-categories, including newly introduced categories like Spa and Wellness, Education and Medical Tourism, SMM2H, and Best Community-Based Tourism Initiative, received the awards.
The Special Hornbill Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Datuk Aloysius Dris for his contributions to Sarawak's tourism industry over the years.
He helped to establish the state Ministry of Tourism by becoming its first permanent secretary and then the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) as its chief executive officer from 1999 to 2003.