Second International Borneo Tattoo Convention - Sayonara! Sibu, We Are Going To Miss You!

All good things must come to an end. The 2nd International Borneo Tattoo Convention concluded on July 1 with an applause to the organisers.

As the bustle of the event settles down, it is time now for us to reflect on it.

When the tattoo artists and tourists from far away depart Sibu, they bring along all the sweet memories of Sibu to cherish. They are now our living advertisements- their word of mouth would bring Sibu to a greater exposure.

They all gave thumbs up when asked about their experiences during their stay in Sibu. We love Sibu - its culture, nature, adventure, people and foods, all are fascinating, they told me.

These foreigners may have flown back, but the tattoos and memories they leave behind to Sibu are going to stay on for long, long time.

Tourism is just about making visitors feel like coming back again and again! Let's work on it.

Second International Borneo Tattoo Convention - It Benefits Sibu

When I first learned about the 2nd International Borneo Tattoo Convention, I was very much excited about it, knowing very well that it would be beneficial to Sibu.

You might dispute that the impact this time is not that fantastic, but never underestimate its potentials for the tourism of the central region.

If we too easily let tourism-related opportunities to slip away, then the central region would lag even further behind.

Let's grab all opportunities to highlight Sibu worldwide- it is not easy, but as the tattoo convention has proved it to you, it is also not too difficult.

The picture above shows some co-workers of the convention attending to the tattoo artists from worldwide whilst checking in to Premier Hotel (http://www.premierh.com.my/).

I admired very much the two talented disc jockeys who provided non-stop light moments at one studio. They kept the momentum going - and they simply made the place a lot more lively! What a good job they had done.

The picture shows them indulged in their work.

Second International Borneo Tattoo Convention - A Pictorial Record

My repeated attempts to upload images to my blog failed to work last night. Not bowing to failures, I gave to it another try - and, great, I got it this time!

Pictures speak louder than words. The pictorial record serves as a permanent reminder to all people in Sibu to do their bit for our tourism, as Cr. Robert Lau and Mr. Chambai Lintong have exemplified.

If we all set our minds on Sibu and gear it to a destination of visits by tourists, then, I believe there is plenty of hope for our dear home town.

With our government playing the lead role, let's all do it for Sibu for the benefits of everybody.

Alexander Hilbert, hailing from Switzerland, proudly shows off his tattooed body. More people have started to appreciate this bodily art. With Alex is Annie, a staff member of Premier Hotel.

Naza and J. Terdn , of Spanish descent, are more than happy to let me take a snapshot of them. They are showing to us that art is for appreciation.

A tattoo artist with meticulous skill and care is working on "a living design on a living canvas".
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Second International Borneo Tattoo Convention - A Living Design On A Living Canvas

The very much awaited 2nd International Borneo Tattoo Convention has finally kicked off in Sibu- the central region of Sarawak with vast potentials but presently still undercultivated in tourism.

Potentially a tourist puller event, the tattoo convention deserves back-up from our government to a greater extent. Sibu needs more of this type of art-related function to popularise the region as a tourist destination.

Tourism is just about selling what we have- and since we are rich in tattooing art, let's utilize it to the full to develop this industry.

Tattoo is a form of art on human bodies. To put it more artistically, it is a living design on a living canvas, as one medical specialist quoted to me in a studio at Bukit Aup this afternoon.

Tattoo artists from all over the world made full use of Bukit Aup to set up, individually, tattoo studios. The tattooing skill opened my eyes to this art- and I hope it would be an eye-opener to more people in Sibu for the next two days!

Eventful June In Sibu

June is a bustling month for Sibu. We are now on countdown to three events, namely Borneo Cultural Festival, 2nd International Borneo Tattoo Convention and 5th Mission Convention of World Federation of Chinese Methodist Churches. These culture and church-related activities contribute spin-off effects to tourism in Sibu, in one way or another.

The 5th Mission Convention, organised by Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference, shall run consecutively for five days from 21st to 25th of June with very compact schedule. It shall gather together a total of 1265 Methodist Church members (from local:648; from outside Sarawak:617).

Aptly dubbed international because it draws in particupants from all over the world: Sabah,West Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan,Hong Kong, Australia, Indonesia, U.S.A., England, Canada, Korea, New Zealand, Phnom Penh, etc.

It is an honour for Sibu to host the mission convention. Held once in every five years, the venue for the event is rotated. So, for Sibu to play host again, by a rough estimate, it has to be something like 30 years later.

I hope they would all leave Sibu with sweet memories!