The industry without smokestacks

ON Feb 26, 2026, this newspaper highlighted that ‘Sarawak tourism revenue hits RM1.115 billion as of 2026 on a high’.

Wow! That is a lot of lolly! Not bad, Sarawak.

My memories started flooding back to the early 1970s – the time when the new government of Sarawak led by then-chief minister Tun Datuk Patinggi Abdul Rahman Ya’akub was embarking on development of a number of industries to boost the economy of the state.

Tourism, the industry without smoke pollution, was one of the new products, in addition to the usual stuff: pepper, rubber, timber and petroleum.

The government allowed certain civil servants to get involved in ‘selling’ Sarawak to the foreign tourists.

Datuk Seri Arni Lampam, Andrew Chan Nam Wah, Datu Salleh Askor and I attended the Pan Pacific Tourist Association Conference (PATA) in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

We had to persuade the delegates to come over to Sarawak for a post-conference tour.

We managed to lure a number of them, and a contingent of journalists.

Back home in their own countries, these travel writers published glowing reports about Sarawak.

Although the Sarawak Tourist Association (STA) had been formed, it was managed like a ‘businessmen’s club’ rather than as a serious promoter of the trade.

Government help was, therefore, necessary.

At the time, in Kuching, there were service organisations such as the Rotary Club International, Lions International, and Junior Chamber International (JCI) – all keen on inbound tourism, and saw that there was money in it!

These gentlemen had often gone on business trips outside Sarawak and brought home interesting stories: what they had seen, eaten, and where they had stayed while in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Bali, Taiwan and USA.

Back home, these seasoned travellers were wondering if their state government had realised the importance of this travel industry.

Tourists, if they could be enticed to come over to Sarawak, would be spending their American dollars here like ‘water’.

A share in a piece of this pie would be good for the local economy.

From the Political Secretary’s Office at the Secretariat, then ensconced in the Bangunan Yayasan Sarawak, I was a cog in the wheel.

I was tasked by the chief minister to get in touch with the Borneo Company people and to sound out if they were interested in developing their parcel of land, used as a storage area, where the Holiday Inn was eventually built.

“Tell them the tourists are coming!” was the chief minister’s instruction to me.

Contact was made with the help of a former classmate, George Teo Chin Khuan.

I was invited to lunch at the Borneo Company’s house on the hill where the present Pullman Hotel Kuching stands.

In discussing the development of the tourism industry in Sarawak, one could not avoid mentioning names of people.

I well remember the names of people in Kuching who were actively promoting inbound tourism.

You would forgive me if I missed some of the energetic promoters in other towns like Miri, Sibu or Bintulu.

You must remember that back then, Kuching was the centre of the universe!

Here’s the list, as far as I remember:

• Francis Tan and Sim Kheng Lung (Rex Bookstore);
• Sylvester Chai, YY Lee (AIA);
• Ambrose Wong (Borneo Hotel);
• Yee (Fata Hotel);
• Wee Hood Teck (Bian Chiang Bank);
• SC Chan (Journalist with Sarawak Tribune);
• Datu Salleh Askor (Radio Sarawak);
• Datuk Seri Arni Lampam (Permanent Secretary);
• Andrew Chan Nam Wah;
• Dr John Fozdar, and;
• TC Lim.

Then-state secretary Abang Yusuf Puteh gave the blessing to Salleh, Arni, Andrew and me to attend the Pata Conference in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and we were tasked with persuading the delegates to come over to Sarawak for the post-conference tour.

These mass media people were essential in terms of publicity.

Back home, they concocted glowing reports about Sarawak.

For the country often by-passed by foreign tourists the free publicity was worth a few million shillings – the amount of money we would have to spend on hiring a public relations company to publicise our wares.

Sarawak was then on the tourist map!

The civil servants’ role in the promotion of the trade reflected the government’s policy of synergising the effort of the private sector with that of the government.

The only professional tour operators and hotel owners were Mr Siah (Sarawak Travel Agencies), Choo Poh Hin (CP Travels), Yee (Fata Hotel) and Ambrose Wong (Borneo Hotel), as well as the owners of several inns (catering for the early generation of backpackers).

Air connectivity was the major problem.

Tourists from Europe would fly in their own country’s planes, but the international itineraries did not include Sarawak.

Sabah was lucky because Cathay Pacific flew from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu only.

The tourists were more attracted to Bali, via Singapore – Sarawak was by-passed!

In the 1980s, the state government formed the ministry responsible for overseeing the ‘sale’ of the state, with the tag line ‘Culture, Adventure and Nature’.

The problems of air connectivity and insufficient hotel rooms of international standard were gradually solved as the industry people and the government worked hand in hand.

If I am not mistaken, the present Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was once the minister for tourism; and those after him such as Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing and the current minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, shared similar mission and vision.

Air connectivity is still a work in progress, but we’re getting there – there is money in the clouds!

At one stage, there was the complaint from the tour guides that they were poorly paid.

If this is still a problem, please fix it.

Tour guides are important foot soldiers of the industry.

Train them well, and they will render excellent service to the state.

They are all cogs in the wheel.