Answer for Oral Question PL025

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Dr. Awang Haji Mahali bin Haji Momin

YANG BERHORMAT DR. AWANG HAJI MAHALI BIN HAJI MOMIN requested the MENTERI SUMBER-SUMBER UTAMA DAN PELANCONGAN to state the status of the country’s tourism sector planning in accommodating changes to the structure of tourist arrivals, taking into account that the 2024 air arrival data showed that visitors travelling for holidays and visiting family accounted for more than 60% of total arrivals.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Sumber-Sumber Utama dan Pelancongan

Based on the latest data for 2025, the total number of tourist arrivals in Negara Brunei Darussalam was approximately 763,375, representing an increase of around 13 per cent from 2024, with the majority of air arrivals still comprising visitors coming for holidays and to visit family and friends (VFR). This pattern is consistent with the findings for 2024, where more than 60% of air arrivals fell within these segments.

In this regard, the country’s tourism sector development planning has been strategically structured through the Tourism Industry Roadmap. At present, Negara Brunei Darussalam is in the Second Phase of tourism industry development, which focuses on establishing Negara Brunei Darussalam as an internationally recognised ecotourism destination for its sustainable tourism practices.

Taking into account this tourist arrival structure, the Ministry, through the Tourism Development Department, has adjusted its approach to sector development through several key strategies.

First, adapting tourism marketing and product development strategies

With the holiday and VFR segments being dominant, emphasis has been placed on developing experience-based products such as ecotourism, cultural heritage and community-based tourism. Initiatives such as the Brunei Gastronomy Festival, Brunei Coffee Trail, Brunei December Festival and MYCE Conference have been implemented to enrich visitors’ experiences while increasing their length of stay and expenditure in the country.

Second, strengthening the tourism industry value chain in an integrated manner.

The Ministry continues to strengthen cooperation among hoteliers, travel agents, tourism service operators and local communities to develop more structured and high-value tourism packages. This approach ensures that more sectors of the local economy can participate in the tourism value chain. For example, a Business Networking Session with Travel Agents, Tourism Service Providers and Event Managers was held at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, successfully producing collaborative packages under Kenali Negara Kitani (KNK) through collaboration among tourism operators, tourism service providers and Majlis Perundingan Kampong. The session also increased awareness of local tourism products and services, while creating wider opportunities for cooperation to strengthen the country’s tourism ecosystem.

Third, digitalisation and adapting the tourism industry’s business model.

As more visitors plan their own trips, industry operators are encouraged to adopt online booking platforms and digital marketing through Online Travel Agencies such as CTrip, Agoda and Klook, in order to increase the visibility of Brunei’s tourism products at the regional level.

As an effort to increase the appeal of the tourism products offered, the Ministry has established the online tourism directory Explore Brunei, which brings together more than 700 tourism products and activities, thereby making it easier for visitors to obtain information about the tourism experiences offered by local operators.

The Ministry has also implemented entrepreneurship development and strategic B2B networking programmes. To date, 17 registered Tourism Service Operators have participated in the entrepreneurship programme, while two B2B networking initiatives in 2025 brought together relevant industry players. The tourism digitalisation session held on 29 October 2025 brought together 62 participants from 37 organisations comprising industry players, including hoteliers, travel agents, tourism service operators and local communities. This demonstrated the operators’ level of readiness to use digital marketing and online booking systems to expand their market reach.

In addition, the Ministry also works closely with the private sector through the Brunei Darussalam Tourism Industry Working Group, which serves as a strategic coordination platform to examine improvements to infrastructure and the visitor arrival experience, as well as measures to enhance the destination’s competitiveness.

All these initiatives are implemented with the aim of ensuring that the country’s tourism sector not only adapts to changes in the structure of visitor arrivals, but is also able to increase the economic value of tourism, in line with the country’s target of achieving approximately 1 million tourist arrivals and tourism revenue of $675 million by 2029.