Unveiling Global Showcases in Osaka (August 2025) and Mulu (October 2025)
London. July 2025 - Sarawak is stepping boldly onto the global culinary stage with the launch of Serumpun Sarawak, a landmark journey that redefines indigenous heritage, food traditions, and cultural creativity as powerful tools for global influence and sustainable economic growth. Building momentum toward its international debut, Serumpun Sarawak is set to headline two major showcases: Osaka, Japan and Mulu, Sarawak. These global stages will feature curated tasting experiences, storytelling installations, and collaborative performances that present Sarawak’s cultural identity in a vibrant, modern context.
Hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) and the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), Serumpun Sarawak marks a bold new chapter for the state’s tourism and cultural economy. The initiative is led by world-renowned chef and indigenous gastronomy advocate, Chef James Won, in collaboration with Atlas Collective.
More than a gastronomic experience, Serumpun Sarawak is a global invitation to engage with Sarawak as a living ecosystem of biodiversity, creativity, and ancestral knowledge, where indigenous wisdom meets contemporary innovation, and where food becomes a vessel for storytelling, identity, and connection.
“When Kuching earned its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, it wasn’t simply a feather in our cap, it was a call to action. A signal to the world that Sarawak’s culinary roots run deep — and our ambitions reach far,” said YB Dato’ Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak. “Serumpun Sarawak is our answer to that call. It is where ancestral knowledge meets cutting-edge creativity. Where native ingredients become narrative. Where stories from the lands are translated into unforgettable multisensory experiences.’”
The journey’s first confirmed activation will take place from 5 to 8 August 2025 in Osaka, Japan, as part of an exclusive cultural gastronomy showcase in conjunction with the World Expo 2025. Hosted at Seaside Studio Caso, this immersive event will introduce Japanese and global audiences to the depth and diversity of Sarawak’s indigenous cuisines, ingredients, and creative expressions. Through curated dining experiences, visual storytelling, and cultural showcases, Osaka will offer a window into Sarawak’s soul, a vibrant confluence of land, people, and culinary heritage.
Following its international debut, Serumpun Sarawak will return to its roots with a powerful community-based activation deep in Sarawak’s own natural crown jewel, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mulu National Park. In October 2025, the journey will host a site-specific experience within the park itself, blending indigenous culinary traditions, ecological appreciation, and cultural storytelling in one of the world’s most awe-inspiring environments. The Mulu activation reflects Serumpun Sarawak’s commitment to ensuring that global recognition is always grounded in respect for local communities, biodiversity, and indigenous knowledge systems.
Collaboration sits at the heart of Serumpun Sarawak, with leading Sarawakian organisations such as Earthlings Coffee Workshop, Tanoti Crafts, The Tuyang Initiative, and the Culinary Heritage & Arts Society Sarawak (CHASS) working together to champion indigenous ingredients, craftsmanship, and cultural preservation. Their shared vision ensures that the journey remains rooted in authenticity, empowering local communities while amplifying Sarawak’s position as a world-class destination for cultural and culinary exploration.
Guests at the launch press conference were offered an early taste of what lies ahead, with a captivating ethnic cooking showcase and an exclusive preview of The Serumpun Story, a short film encapsulating the essence of the journey. A curated coffee experience by Earthlings Coffee Workshop also highlighted Sarawak’s emerging status as a terroir for exceptional coffee cultivation, blending tradition, sustainability, and global potential.
Serumpun Sarawak represents the next evolution of Sarawak’s tourism and cultural landscape, where heritage is not frozen in time but continually reimagined, shared, and celebrated. It is an invitation to the world to experience Sarawak not just through its landscapes but through its flavours, its stories, and its people. As the journey prepares to take Sarawak’s cultural gastronomy to Mulu, Osaka, and beyond, one message rings clear: Sarawak is ready to lead, to inspire, and to redefine how the world experiences Borneo.
For further information, please visit: www.sarawaktourism.com
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About Sarawak, Gateway to Borneo: A kaleidoscope of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals: is the best description for Sarawak. Sarawak comprises 34 ethnic tribes with their own unique traditions, lifestyles, music and food, while sharing their warm hospitality. Malaysia’s largest state, Sarawak, endowed with some of the oldest rainforests on Earth. Its vast landscape spans over 120,000 sq kms, with towering mountains and cool highlands, jagged limestone formations and mysterious cave systems, winding rivers and quiet beaches; where adventures are waiting to happen. Festivals are hosted throughout the year celebrate the eclectic blend of modern and traditional culture, food, music and religious practices that can be found nowhere else. In Sarawak, there is always ‘More to Discover’.
About Sarawak Tourism Board Sarawak Tourism Board is the key promoter for Sarawak. STB is a winner of the Asia Pacific Excellence Awards 2016 by Asia-Pacific Association of Communications Directors (APACD) and has received the ASEAN PR Excellence Award 2015 Gold Award. The Rainforest World Music Festival is a five-time Top 25 Best International Festivals recognised by Songlines World Music Magazine (2011 – 2015). Meanwhile, the Rainforest World Music Festival and Borneo Jazz Festival Virtual Experiences were recognised by World Responsible Tourism Awards 2021 as ‘Ones to Watch’ under Destinations Building Back Better Post-Covid and the virtual experience of the 2021 Rainforest World Music Festival won the PATA Gold Awards 2022 under Sustainability and Social Responsibility Category for Culture. Sarawak Tourism Board also won the Golden City Gate 2019 five-star award, Marketing Excellence Awards 2021 for Excellence in Mobile Marketing (bronze) and PATA Gold Awards 2022 its destination video entitled ‘A Journey Awaits’ under the marketing category. STB was honoured with the "Nation’s Pride Award" in Tourism Promotion Excellence at the BrandLaureate BestBrands Awards for the year 2022-2023. Additionally, at the Malaysia Public Relations Awards (MPRA) 2023, STB's campaign for the Rainforest World Music Festival titled "The Comeback Stronger Brand Story" was recognized with the Campaign of the Year award. STB also secured the Gold Award for Product Brand Development (B2C) under the theme "Comeback Stronger", acknowledging its compelling narrative emphasizing sustainability practices. STB received the Best Global PR Campaign Award at the DAVOS World Communications Forum Award (WCFA) 2023. In 2024, STB was awarded the Bronze Award in the Transportation, Travel & Tourism category at the Putra Aria Brand Awards and the Special Award for Covid-19 (Sia Sitok Sarawak) at the Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Award 2024. STB also received the Tourism Board Campaign of the Year - Malaysia at the Travel Daily Media: Travel Trade Excellence Awards, along with two accolades at the Malaysia Public Relations Awards (MPRA) 2024: Product Brand Development B2C - From Local to Global: Sia Sitok empowers Sarawak’s tourism players, boosting local economies, and Campaign of the Year for the same initiative. Additionally, STB was named Brand of the Year in Tourism Promotion & Development at The BrandLaureate Brand of the Year Award 2024, and Sarawak was recognized with the Most Promising New Destination award at the OTM’s Excellence Award 2025.
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