KUCHING: Sarawak's tourism sector is expected to see a boost with the return of several international events in the coming months.

       State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the Spartan Race Sarawak, an endurance sport event, was coming back on June 11-12 after being delayed by two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said the race, which was first held in the state in 2019, would put Sarawak on the map as an international destination as it was expected to attract participants from around the region.

       "This will be good for tourism because it will draw racers from outside Sarawak.

       "We look forward to welcoming them and we invite them to visit our national parks and other attractions," he said when launching the race here on Monday (April 18).

       Karim said so far, 1,058 participants had registered for the race, which is targeting 2,500 racers including 1,000 from outside Malaysia.

       After the Spartan Race, the Rainforest World Music Festival would take place as a hybrid event on June 17-19, followed by the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri on June 24-26.

       "We hope participants of the race will stay on for both music festivals," Karim said.

       Meanwhile, the Borneo Trail Classic would be held in Sarawak on Oct 14-16 as one of the Spartan Trail World Championships Series' nine stops and the only one in Asia.

       The Borneo Trail Classic would take place at the Redeems Centre in Kampung Apar near here with two categories on offer, the 50km trail and 100km trail ultra.