Marginal increase in visitors to Sibu

THE number of tourists to Sibu for the first eight months of this year saw a slight increase compared with the corresponding period last year.

A total of 1,126 tourists were recorded compared with 1,106 last year. For the whole of last year, there were 1,672 tourists.

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Sibu branch executive Rudy Anoi said these visitors had visited his office before going to other places in the region and the number could be more because not all of them could have gone to his office.

“These visitors were mainly backpackers who came on their own to explore places such as Kapit and Belaga. Usually after getting vital tourist information from us, they would stay overnight in Sibu before making their way to their destination by express boats,” he said.

STB has ready information for tourists on express boat schedule, the do’s and don’ts while visitors are in the Upper Rajang, where to stay and where to eat.

The board also gives advice to visitors on the requirements to obtain a visitor pass to Belaga from the Kapit Resident’s Office. Visitors from peninsula Malaysia were the most at 583 people, followed by UK and Ireland at 63, and Australia, 58.

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Belaga, Sarawak braces for tourism boom

BELAGA: People living in Belaga, among the most remote districts in Malaysia, are looking forward to the completion of the Bakun hydroelectric project to generate a new economic activity – tourism.

Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang said the project, which was expected to be completed in December, would change the landscape in the district.

“There will be a lot of new islands created (once the water level at the Bakun Dam is raised), providing new potential for the people here to promote them to anglers and eco-tourists.

“More people will be involved in the tourism industry,” he said.

He said although there were already tourism activities in Belaga, these had yet to achieve the economies of scale that could yield better profits for the locals.

The 205m-high Bakun hydroelectric dam, which creates a reservoir of water measuring 695 sq km, is the second tallest concrete rock-filled dam in the world. It will have the capacity to generate 2,400MW of power.

The entire Bakun catchment area, situated at the Balui River, about 37km upstream of Belaga town, measures about 14,759 sq km, which is equivalent in size to 12% of Sarawak.

Several longhouses, particularly within the Sungai Asap Resettlement Scheme, have started promoting homestay programmes in recent years.

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