Sarawak Tourism Board targets Indian market ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026

KUCHING (Feb 7): Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) participated in India’s leading travel trade exhibition, the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2026 recently, reaffirming its strategic focus on the sub-continent as a high-potential source market ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026).

Sarawak’s engagement in OTM 2026 aligned with Malaysia’s national ambition of welcoming 43 million international visitors under VM2026, with India identified as a priority growth market targeting two million arrivals.

Riding on growing market interest, including an eight per cent surge in demand from India, the board said Sarawak was positioning itself to contribute meaningfully to this national objective by pursuing sustained, quality growth from the Indian market.

Leading the Sarawak delegation was the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Other members comprised the deputy ministers Datuk Sebastian Ting and Dato Dennis Ngau – also STB chairman, and STB chief executive officer Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor.

“Our presence underscored Sarawak’s commitment to strengthening high-level engagement with India’s travel trade and reinforcing long-term market confidence,” said STB in a statement

Abdul Karim delivered a keynote intervention as a panel speaker during the OTM 2026 inaugural session.

In addition, Sharzede was a featured panellist of a forum titled “Beyond the Usual: Mapping Where Indian Travellers Will Go Next”, sharing her insights on Sarawak’s destination readiness and product development strategies for the next wave of Indian travellers.

“At OTM 2026, Sarawak positioned itself as a distinctive, experience-led destination, highlighting its core tourism pillars of Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals (CANFF),” said STB.

“Emphasis was placed on immersive, nature-led and heritage-rich experiences that resonate strongly with the Indian market, including iconic attractions such as the Unesco World Heritage-listed Mulu National Park and Niah National Park.”

Prior to the OTM 2026 official opening, the Sarawak delegation conducted high-level visits to strengthen diplomatic and academic ties, including a courtesy visit to the Consulate General of Malaysia in Mumbai, to meet Consul General Ahmad Zuwairi Yusoff.

This was followed by an academic partnership mission to Somaiya Vidyavihar University alongside UCSI University Sarawak Campus to promote education tourism, a key niche segment for the Indian market.

This collaboration aimed to establish academic benchmarks in hospitality, tourism and culinary arts through faculty and student exchanges and joint research.

“OTM 2026 served as a valuable platform to enhance Sarawak’s visibility in India, strengthen trade relationships and reinforce its positioning as Malaysia’s nature-led gateway to Borneo.

“These strategic engagements are expected to support the development of tailored itineraries, expand market access and drive sustained destination awareness across India as Malaysia prepares to welcome the world in 2026,” said STB.