Kuching hotels filling up amid packed October events

KUCHING: Visitors heading to Kuching this month may have to look beyond the city centre for accommodation as a packed events calendar puts pressure on hotel room availability.

Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said rooms are becoming difficult to secure, particularly at boutique hotels along Main Bazaar.

“It’s not easy to get a room now in Kuching,” he said when met after launching WAK Festival 2026 here today (Oct 3).

Abdul Karim suggested visitors look at accommodation in areas such as Matang or around Vivacity if they could not secure rooms in the city centre.

He said October’s busy programme extended beyond WAK to include the Sarawak Regatta, International Dragon Boat Festival and celebrations marking the Head of State’s birthday.

“Along Main Bazaar, all those boutique hotels, you can never get a room already,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said WAK offered activities throughout the month at numerous venues, allowing visitors to choose programmes that matched their interests.

He said the range included music, storytelling, painting, arts and culture, with both returning programmes and new content providing different experiences for audiences.

“So you just need to look into the directory and pick and choose which one you want to go to,” he said.