Answer for Written Question PT018

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed

YANG BERHORMAT AWANG ZAINOL BIN HAJI MOHAMED requested the MENTERI SUMBER-SUMBER UTAMA DAN PELANCONGAN to state the Ministry’s assessment of the actual economic return for the country’s tourism sector. To what extent are existing policies able to increase visitor spend, length of stay and local value-chain value, as opposed to merely increasing arrival figures?

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri Sumber-Sumber Utama dan Pelancongan

The Ministry recognises that the success of the tourism sector is measured not only by the number of tourist arrivals, but more importantly by the actual economic return to the country, including visitor expenditure, length of stay and contributions to the local value chain. In 2025, the number of tourist arrivals to Brunei Darussalam was approximately 763,375, representing an increase of approximately 13% from 2024. This increase was contributed by tourist arrivals via land, air and sea, which rose by approximately 14.1%, 46.2% and 6.9% respectively, with a significant increase recorded in tourist arrivals by cruise ship.

The significant increase in tourist arrivals has created various employment opportunities for locals in the hospitality sector and tour guide services, while also having a direct positive impact on the local economy.

In assessing the economic return of this sector, the Ministry takes into account several key indicators, such as average tourist expenditure, length of stay (average length of stay), as well as the economic impact on related sectors such as hospitality, food and beverages, transport and local tourism services.

Accordingly, the country’s tourism development policies emphasise a "value-driven tourism" approach, which is to attract visitors with the potential to generate higher economic value, rather than merely increasing the number of arrivals.

The approaches taken include focusing on the MICE and business tourism segments, which typically involve high-income visitors with higher levels of expenditure while in the country.

In addition, efforts are being made to strengthen air connectivity in collaboration with airlines, including Royal Brunei, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines and Cebu Pacific, to strengthen the air network and open new routes such as to Balikpapan, Beijing, Chennai and Haikou.

In line with this, collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Home Affairs (KHEDN) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (KHELN) have also been implemented to facilitate visitor access from key markets, including the opening of new routes and more facilitative visa policies for several countries. These efforts include a 30-day visa for Japan and visa exemptions for the People’s Republic of China and Chinese Taipei, which are expected to attract more tourists. This measure has in particular had a positive impact on the educational tourism segment, in line with the growing demand for immersive educational programmes from these markets.

At the same time, tourism products have also been diversified by highlighting nature-, community- and culture-based destinations, such as those in the Labi and Lamunin areas and local villages, providing visitors with opportunities to stay longer and interact with local communities.

This approach not only enhances the visitor experience, but also helps increase tourist expenditure and extend the economic benefits to local communities and rural areas.

Strategically, this approach aims to ensure that the country’s tourism sector develops sustainably and with high impact, by focusing on increasing the economic value generated by every visitor who comes to Brunei Darussalam.