SARAWAK’S Sia Sitok intra-state tourism campaign, designed to encourage local travel and shore up the state’s Covid-19-battered tourism industry, has hit a bump.

Kuching is once again a Covid-19 red zone and a conditional movement control order (CMCO) has been re-imposed on the state capital, including a travel ban into and out of the city, has caused bookings for the state government subsidised travel package plummet to almost zero.

Sia Sitok in Sarawak Malay simply means ‘here and there’ and the state government, through the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), subsidises 50% of the tour package.

The campaign was to enable anyone living in the state to travel and experience its unseen beauty and attractions.

The campaign, for which booking opened on August 4, was also to give privilege to Covid-19 front liners.

The Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) provides the booking platform and payment gateway for the campaign.

The 30 attractions, tours and activities in Kuching, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Miri and Mulu include everything from day trips to full board multiple day trips with accommodation and meals.

The packages are designed for everyone, but especially those in need of a weekend getaway. They include the Sarawak River sunset cruise, Irrawaddy Dolphin cruise at Santubong, bird watching at Kubah national park, fun dive day trip at Satang Island, evening Kuching wetland tour, Bako national park, Tanjong Datu national park tour, golfing at the Eastwood Golf Club in Miri, the Rajang River and longhouse day trip, Bintangor and Sarikei countryside day trip, Bintulu explorer, and discovery at Mukah – The Melanau Heartland and Silabur caving.

However, since the CMCO was imposed on Kuching district on November 10, popular Sarawak Forestry Corporation run nature reserves and parks, like the Bako national park in Kuching and the Mulu national park, a world heritage site, are all closed.

“It’s very hard to sell (the packages) now,” Mok Venia, managing director of Cat City Holidays, said.

Venia was also alluding to the fact that more than half of the packages – including the Sarawak River sunset cruise, Padawan kayak tour, Kg Sting overnight adventure tour, Bako national park, Satang Island Irrawaddy dolphin watching tour –are for travel in and around Kuching.

“It is hard to sell when the parks and nature reserves are closed and those who are from outside Kuching are not signing up because they cannot travel to the capital.”

STF statistics showed that the Sarawak River sunset cruise is the most popular of the Sia Sitok packages.

Meanwhile, the stats showed that before the first CMCO, the Bako national park was the state’s most visited park, nature reserve or wildlife rehabilitation centre.

Foreigners make up bulk of visitors

In January and February, 1,687 locals visited Bako, compared to 3, 676 foreigners.

It was then forced to close from March to May as part of the measures to break the Covid-19 transmission in the first CMCO and when it reopened in June, the foreign visitors did not return.

Meanwhile, in August, 1,716 locals visited the park with the figure for September being just 1,126.

People simply cannot travel, Audrey Wan Ullok, STF president, said.

The CMCO is initially slated to be lifted on November 22.

Ullok said, even before the CMCO was imposed, some longhouses have already banned visits by people from Kuching due to the spike in Covid-19 cases.

Travel agents said they are receiving messages from longhouse owners, telling them the longhouses were off-limits to Kuching guests in view of the lockdown.

Ullok said the Bidayuh village of Sting in Padawan was not accepting Kuching guests, despite foregoing badly needed cash from its waterfall attraction.

“Yes, there has been a major slowdown (in booking),” Ullok said.

STF said as of November 10 – the day the CMCO in Kuching was imposed –there were 585 bookings for 3,288 people.

“Bookings have really started slowing down as parks and villages close, and flights are reduced,” Ullok said.

Even though travel agents allow for postponement of bookings that have already been confirmed, to them the CMCO was a fortnight of lost opportunities that helped push some of the smaller travel agents closer to closure.

Tour companies, their tourists and park guides, drivers, souvenir retail and handicraft shops and restaurants suddenly find themselves with no business.

However, those who have bought the travel package, will not lose a single sen as change of date is allowed.

“There’s no cancellation or refund allowed though,” Ullok explained

“They won’t lose anything provided they can be flexible to change the date,” she added.

Due to the disruption, the campaign has now been extended till the end of March next year. – November 22, 2020.