MALAYSIA - Wavelength: Rebranding Sarawak will do wonders for tourism

Newstraitstimes onine, 16 Dec 2006

IF talks over the management changes of the resort hotels belonging to the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation at Damai Beach outside Kuching are finally firmed up, the development may well signal a welcome change in the branding and marketing of Sarawak — particularly Kuching — as a tourist destination.

Sarawak had not quite taken the traditional well-trodden route to holiday paradise superstardom, traversed by such leading lights as Penang, Phuket or Bali, which started out as low-budget destinations before graduating to the five-star international travel circuit.

Sarawak went about it by attempting to leapfrog headlong into the international circuit. Building up a brand name for itself obviously takes both time and money; the result so far has been rather mixed.

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