SARAWAK OFFERS FREE ROOMS TO SINGAPOREANS

SINGAPORE, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- In a hard sell to promote Sarawak, the 'Land
of the Hornbills', is offering free rooms to Singaporeans at a local travel fair
here this weekend.

The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) is launching its free room packages at the
National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) Travel Fair, to be held
at the Singapore Expo this Saturday.

STB said Wednesday that the state's Minister of Urban Development and
Tourism Michael Manyin anak Jawong would launch the free room packages at the
Tourism Malaysia booth.

In a media release here, STB said the package would be offered to anyone who
purchased a three-day, two-night stay in Sarawak, an east Malaysia state, which
entitled them to an additional one night stay, free of charge and valid until
this December.

The package is also offered by airlines, among them being Malaysia
Airlines and AirAsia.

STB said Singapore-based PYO Travel was working with AirAsia and offering
the free room package at Tune Hotel at the Waterfront in Kuching with the
purchase of any air ticket to the state capital.

Like AirAsia, MAS is also working with the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort
in offering the one free night's stay with the purchase of an air ticket to
Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak said STB.

Apart from MAS and AirAsia, local airlines SilkAir and Tiger Airways also
fly directly from Singapore to Kuching. From this Sunday, Jetstar Asia
Airways will also fly directly to Kuching.

STB said among the hotels in Sarawak that would be participating in the
package were Merdeka Palace Hotel and Suite, Four Point by Sheraton Kuching,
Hilton Kuching Hotel, Grand Margherita Hotel, Riverside Majestic Hotel, Borneo
Highlands Resort and Somerset Gateway Hotel.

Sarawak, which received a total of 4.3 million visitors in 2007, hopes to
double or triple the number of tourists from Singapore which numbered about
41,000 last year.

-- Bernama