Sarawak, Indonesia tourism players seek closer business collaboration

KUCHING: The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) brought Sarawak and Indonesian tourism players together in Surabaya and Jakarta to explore closer business collaboration.

The Sarawak: Gateway to Borneo Business Networking Session (B2B) Indonesia 2026 was held on Sept 28 at JW Marriott Hotel Surabaya and on Sept 30 at Pullman Jakarta Indonesia Thamrin CBD, it said in a statement.

The sessions brought together Sarawak tourism industry representatives and Indonesian travel trade partners for direct business engagement.

According to the Oct 2 statement, Indonesian travel partners learnt more about Sarawak’s tourism offerings, while Sarawak businesses gained insight into the Indonesian market and the interests of potential trade partners.

The programme featured destination and airline updates, Sarawak product presentations and one-to-one business matching. Discussions covered possible travel packages, joint promotional opportunities, connectivity and wider trade collaboration.

Tourism Malaysia was acknowledged for its support in bringing together the Indonesian travel trade partners.

STB director of Marketing (ASEAN & Domestic) Gustino Basuan said Indonesia was not only an important market for Sarawak but also a close regional tourism partner.

“We share longstanding cultural, historical and geographical connections, particularly through Borneo, and there is an opportunity for our tourism industries to build on those strengths together.”

He added that STB saw potential for Sarawak and Indonesia to complement each other’s strengths as Sarawak is positioned as the Gateway to Borneo.

“Through continued engagement, we hope to explore opportunities that can benefit businesses on both sides while giving travellers more reasons to discover the wider region.”

STB said it looked forward to building on the connections made during the sessions and exploring new opportunities with the potential partners met in Surabaya and Jakarta.