Haze affects tourist arrivals and upcoming events in Sarawak, says state minister

KUCHING, Sept 5 — Sarawak's tourism minister has reported a decline in tourist arrivals due to the ongoing haze. State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah expects the trend to persist until the haze situation improves. At a press conference, he stated, "There’s a little bit of drop in the number of tourist arrivals lately.

I foresee this thing will continue on until after the haze is over." Abdul Karim noted that tourists intending to visit Sarawak may alter their travel plans due to the haze, advising, "If I’m a tourist, if I plan to come to Sarawak at this time or to Kuching, I will change my plan if I am from outside." Furthermore, the haze is impacting upcoming events such as the Borderland Music Festival, scheduled at the Sarawak Cultural Village on September 11 and 12.

Abdul Karim expressed concern, saying, "I’m quite worried myself, but there’s nothing much we can do. We’ll just hope and pray that the haze problem will go down." He also recommended event organizers to keep an eye on the Air Pollutant Index (API) and adhere to directives from the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).