Miri: Malaysia and Brunei have agreed to re-launch joint tourism promotions to ensure more systematic and focused efforts to draw more tourists to the region.

Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir (pic) said Friday the "Borneo package" , which would be re-launched soon, involved promotions in Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan and Brunei.

He said the agreement was reached in his discussions with the Brunei Government and tourism operators Thursday.

"A similar package was launched previously but fizzled out due to the haze and the Coxsackie incidents," he told reporters after inspecting the launch site for the nationwide Mega Sale Carnival at the Boulevard shopping complex, here. The sale starts today (Saturday).

Abdul Kadir said the Government was awaiting a proposal paper from the Brunei Tourism Promotion Board on the joint promotions.

He said the Malaysian and Brunei Governments had agreed to bear the costs of the promotions and the sultanate would likely be the starting point for the package which would then proceed to Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan.

He said and Mega Sale Carnival was being launched here following the increase in the number of visitors from Brunei to Sarawak, especially Miri, from 195,000 in 2000 to 300,000 last year and the number was expected to exceed 400,000 this year.

On the concern of Brunei residents on the spate of criminal incidents befalling them while visiting Miri, he said the number of such cases was small and he gave an assurance that the Government would tighten enforcement in Miri.