SIBU: The number of Singapore visitor arrivals to Sarawak has surpassed that of the pre-pandemic years.
"Sarawak had witnessed a remarkable surge in visitors’ arrivals of 3,929,657 visitors in 2023, recording a 93.82% growth rate from 2022.
From that, 60,760 were from Singapore, as compared to 32,228 in 2022.
We are pleased to note that the 2023 Singapore visitor arrivals have surpassed Sarawak’s best number of arrivals of 46,812 in 2019, placing Singapore at rank number 4 among the top 10 countries in terms of visitor arrivals to Sarawak," said State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.
Speaking to reporters after welcoming Scoot's inaugural flight from Singapore to Sibu on Wednesday (June 5), Lee said the partnership with Scoot is set to further drive exponential growth of visitors from Singapore to experience Sarawak’s best offerings.
Lee stressed that the Singapore sector is important as the republic serves as a crucial hub connecting Sarawak to the world due to its strategic location, advanced infrastructure, and its well-established air routes providing efficient links to major global markets, enhancing Sarawak's economic and cultural connectivity.
"We hope that with this new route, many more Singaporeans and people from around the globe will embark on a journey of discovery here in Sarawak," he added.
Scoot is flying to Sibu thrice weekly on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
It departs Singapore at 5.25am and arrives at 7.50am.
The Embraer E190-E2s aircraft has a passenger capacity of 112 people.
Scoot also flies to Kuching on a daily schedule and to Miri four times weekly.
"We hope SIA would also fly to the state so that more Singapore tourists and from other countries could come to Sarawak," he added.
Separately Lee said his Ministry has also been meeting other airlines to introduce direct international flights to Sarawak.
This includes Xiamen Airlines and Juneyao Airlines in Shanghai.
