Visit Miri campaign gets lift from Wings Air’s Pontianak flights

Miri wants to realise medical tourism potentials

Indonesian LCC Wings Air launched twice-daily flights between Pontianak and Miri on March 15, a timely addition amid the Visit Miri 2018 campaign.

With the only other international direct flight into Miri being AirAsia’s service from Singapore, the new Pontianak route is promising to lend strength to the travel industry’s push for the northern region of Sarawak.

Among the activities and attractions highlighted as part of the Visit Miri 2018 are the Borneo Jazz Festival (May 11-12); Miri City International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament (May 10-13) as well as its UNESCO accredited Mulu National Park.

Visit Miri 2018 is a tourism initiative by Miri City Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports; Sarawak Tourism Board; Miri Resident Office; Miri District Office; Sarawak Forestry Corporation and non-government organisations.

Sarawak Tourism Board’s acting CEO, Mary Wan Mering, added: “The new flights will also help attract more medical tourists from Pontianak to the three main hospitals in Miri actively promoting medical tourism – Borneo Medical Centre Miri, Miri City Medical Centre and Columbia Asia Hospital.

“The flights could also help the state of Sarawak achieve its arrival target for 2018, pitched eight to 10 per cent higher than the 4.8 million arrivals into Sarawak in 2017,” she said.

Indonesia represents an important market for Malaysia’s medical tourism sector, contributing more than 60 per cent of the segment.

Miri is the second international destination in Wings Air’s network, after the airline launched Kuching flights in January 2018.

-TTG Asia.