Sarawak took centre-stage at the ITB Berlin 2024, marking a groundbreaking moment with the launch of its transformative ‘Gateway to Borneo’ campaign.
In sync with ITB 2024’s theme, ‘Take Travel Technology to the Next Level. Together,’ Sarawak heralds a new era of digitalisation in tourism, poised to share its natural pride with the world – a rich tapestry woven with threads of Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food, and Festivals.
The campaign signifies a brand refresh and strategically positions Sarawak as the premier gateway to Borneo, encompassing Kalimantan, Sabah, and Brunei.
Through this campaign, Sarawak aims to amplify its allure as a prime tourism destination, inviting global travellers to embark on a journey of discovery and inspiration.
New logo for Sarawak’s tourism campaign
Complementing the campaign’s overarching theme is a refreshed “Sarawak More to Discover” (SMTD) destination logo, an update which maintains the vigour and excitement of the region’s marketing strategy – to position Sarawak as a plethora of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals, along with authentic experiences not found anywhere else in the world and yet to be discovered.
The STMD logo serves as a visual representation of Sarawak’s pristine rainforests, the allure of its coastal waters and the colourful diverse ethnicities of its people.
The logo also showcases the majestic silhouette of the Rhinoceros hornbill, an iconic symbol synonymous with Sarawak’s cherished moniker, “Land of the Hornbills”.
Joint venture with Tischler Reisen
Building on the foundation laid in 2023, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) also signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tischler Reisen (TR), to continue to elevate Sarawak’s prominence among European travellers.
With TR’s 40-year track record and an extensive network of 600 agencies throughout Germany, Sarawak aims to showcase its diverse tour packages both online and offline, enticing discerning travellers across Europe.
This partnership aligns with Sarawak’s strategic vision to position itself as a preferred destination in the European market, while the remarkable 121% surge in European visitor arrivals in 2023 against 2022 highlights the growing appeal of Sarawak’s offerings.
With the resilient 81.5% recovery achievement of the Europe market’s performance in 2023, as compared to 2019, the state’s best year for European visitor arrivals, Sarawak is optimistic to surpass 2019 levels in terms of European visitor arrivals this year.
Responsible tourism
Last but not least, Sarawak also heightened its momentum to champion Responsible Tourism and Sustainability, embodying a tourism philosophy that prioritises economic, social, and environmental impacts.
This will be keenly done during the 27th year Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) which will be happening from June 28th to 30th.
The fest is themed ‘Evolution’, and it underscores music’s dynamic nature across generations and cultures with this year’s edition, embracing the transformative power of music, weaving together culture and environment.
That said, Sarawak is expecting some 4 million tourist for 2024 and hopes they will be able to achieve this target with through the ‘Gateway to Borneo’ promotion.
