SINGAPORE: 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 yesterday the state’s Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Datuk Michael Manyin 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 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 Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort in offering the one free night’s stay with the purchase of an air ticket to Kuching, 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