Gawai Special Package Offers A Taste Of Dayak Culture

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 MARCH 2012: In conjunction with the celebration of Gawai Dayak Day (Harvest Festival), a new cultural tour package called Gawai Special Package has been developed to encourage local and foreign tourists to visit Sarawak during the festival to experience the unique Dayak culture.

Tourism Malaysia Sarawak Office, Sarawak Tourism Board, Sarawak Convention Bureau and Sarawak Cultural Village have teamed up to develop the innovative tourism product. It is hoped that the special package will help to diversify Sarawak's tourism products, attract tourists to stay longer in Sarawak and also promote the culture of the Iban and Bidayuh to the world.

The package is available for sale from today onwards and tours will take place from 18 May until 30 June at the Sarawak Cultural Village. The Gawai Special Package offers a variety of tours comprising 2 Days 1 Night stay, 3 Days 2 Nights stay and 4 Days 3 Nights stay. They are priced at RM399, RM499 and RM599 respectively. Tourists who buy the package are welcomed to stay at either a Bidayuh, Iban or Orang Ulu longhouse at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Among the activities included in the package are jungle trekking at the foothills of Mount Santubong, cooking local dishes, folk song and dances lesson and visiting the variety of ethnic houses at the Sarawak Cultural Villages. Night tours from 10 pm to 3 am can also be purchased by tourists to witness the unique ceremony called Miring.

The Gawai Special Package was launched by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, YB Dato Dr. James Dawos Mamit together with Assistant Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Sarawak, YB Datuk Talip Zulpilip at the White Rajah Café Restaurant, here today. For online booking, please log on to www.SarawakBorneoTour.com or email ask@SarawakBorneoTour.com.

GAWAI DAYAK
The Gawai Dayak festival is a harvest and social festival that is celebrated every 1st June in Sarawak. Gawai means ritual or festival and Dayak is a collective name for the tribes of Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Murut and many more.

It is a feast for the eyes with its colourful rituals, traditional performances, feasting and a variety of traditional games. Gawai Dayak became a symbol of unity, aspiration and hope for the Dayak community and is an integral part of the Dayak social life today.

-Tourism Malaysia.