PETALING JAYA (Jan 19): Malaysia Airlines Bhd's parent Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) and the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) have embarked on a year-long partnership to promote Sarawak as a tourist destination in 2022.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU), MAG and STB will jointly work to market and promote events involving STB, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, MASwings and MHholidays.
In a joint statement on Wednesday (Jan 19), MAG and STB said they will also work together on inter-organisational partnerships involving Sarawak tourism and corporate social responsibility activities.
"In conjunction with the event, STB also launched its Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus interstate travel campaign, to give travellers the opportunity to visit Sarawak through its main tourism gateways, namely Kuching, Sibu and Miri, with Malaysia Airlines as the official airline," the statement said.
MAG group chief executive officer (CEO) Captain Izham Ismail said: "Over the past year, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings have worked on improving connectivity to and within Sarawak, with the commencement of direct flights from Penang to Kuching, and increased frequencies [among] Miri-Sibu-Bintulu that will provide greater mobility to the state and further reinvigorate domestic tourism in Sarawak."
Izham said the three airlines under MAG offer strong value propositions to Sarawak, with better services, convenience and reliability.
STB CEO Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor said through the collaboration between STB and MAG, there will be an increase in connectivity to Sarawak, with more direct flights from Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur to look forward to.
"Malaysia Airlines will not only be Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus' official airline, but also having Firefly, MASwings and MHholidays on board as our strategic partners on future marketing campaigns in promoting Sarawak's tourism activities and cultural events," she said.