Sarawak strengthens ties with Singapore, expands focus on education, trade

KUCHING (Oct 23): Sarawak-Singapore bilateral ties will not only focus on promoting tourism, but also in education and trade, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

According to a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report, the Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister said the state is strengthening its ties with Singapore through various initiatives undertaken by the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (Statos).

The close cooperation with Singapore, he added, is a strategic move to leverage their long-standing bilateral relations where these efforts are not only focused on promoting tourism but also extend to education and trade, aiming to attract more investors and students to the state.

“Sarawak and Singapore have a long history of collaboration, and we intend to seize this opportunity to further expand our economic and educational networks,” he said at the Sarawak Warriors 2024 Awards cum Appreciation Night in Singapore on Tuesday.

Abdul Karim also highlighted Sarawak’s potential as a key hub for educational tourism, offering unique and diverse learning experiences.

“We are seeing increasing interest from Singaporean educational institutions to send their students to Sarawak for exchange programmes and industrial training, and this reflects the recognition of the quality and value we offer,” he said.

“Economic cooperation has also been strengthened through various initiatives such as negotiations for direct electricity supply to Singapore, the development of data centres, and the export of Sarawak’s agricultural products to the country.

“By expanding efforts in Singapore, Sarawak aims not only to attract tourists but also to become a preferred destination for education, innovation, and cultural exchange,” he said, adding that these initiatives are expected to boost Sarawak’s socioeconomic growth.

The event also featured the presentation of the 2024 Sarawak Warriors Awards for Best Travel Agency, aimed to recognise the outstanding contributions of travel agencies and partners in promoting Sarawak as a top tourist destination over the past year.

Also attending the event were deputy minister Datuk Snowdan Lawan and his wife Datin Melinda Claudia Bucking Lawan; deputy state secretary (Operation) Datu Hii Chang Kee; Sarawak Tourism Board chairman Dato Dennis Ngau; ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Sherrina Hussaini; and Statos chief executive officer Chew Chang Guan.