The vibrant spirit of the Gawai Dayak Festival was brought to live in Kuala Lumpur here, as Tourism Malaysia collaborates with ibis KLCC hotel to hold Sarawak’s food and cultural festival. The event, held in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, aimed to share the unique cultural joy of Gawai with domestic and international guests.
The launching marked the 2 week-long event in the premise from 8-22 June 2025, to highlight the unique delicacy from the land of Borneo such as laksa Sarawak, Manok Pansoh (Chicken cooked in bamboo), Nuba Laya (wild rice in isif leaf), Umai and the famous ‘kek lapis’. In addition, all attendees were also treated to captivating cultural performances by a local dance troupe, showcasing Sarawak’s rich heritage.
Tourism Malaysia hopes to showcase different cultural elements from Borneo to Peninsular Malaysia and vice versa, as part of the promotion for the coming VM2026 programs.
Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Director General Tourism Malaysia, officiated the launching, witnessed by Mr Chen Yang, Executive Director, Goldstone Holdings Berhad on behalf of ibis KLCC. Also present were Datin Rafidah Idris, Senior Director for Domestic & Event Division and Madam Rubiah Tul Adawiyah Mohd Yusof, Director of Tourism Malaysia Sarawak.
Celebrated annually on the 1st and 2nd of June, The Gawai Dayak Festival is part of Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to promote the essence of Sarawak’s rich cultural tapestry, inviting everyone to join in the festivities and experience the warmth of Malaysian hospitality.
In 2024, Malaysia welcomed 38 million international visitors a 31.1% increase from 2023 and 8.3% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Visitor receipts also surged,
generating RM106.78 billion, reflecting a substantial 43.7% growth over 2023 and exceeding 2019 figures by 20.0%.
This positive trend has continued into early 2025, with the first four months recording 13.4 million visitor arrivals, a 21.0% year-on-year increase. From January to April 2025, Singapore remained the top visitor-generating market, followed by Indonesia, China, Thailand, India, Brunei, South Korea, Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom.
About Tourism Malaysia
Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.
The next Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation’s tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).
Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
