27Oct

Sabah as Asean eco-tourism hotspot

KINABATANGAN: Sabah is proud to host the Asean Tourism Human Resources Management and Development Network for Ecotourism Programme here for 25 participants from Asean member States to experience forest restoration, lake conservation and wildlife experience over four days and three nights, ending Oct 23.It also marks the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s aim to position Sabah as an ecotourism hotspot especially with the Visit Malaysia Year 2020, as it organised the event attended by hundreds. The Federal Minister hails from Sabah’s East Coast nearby where the event took place. Officiated by State Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Assaffal P. Alian, the programme aimed to share Malaysia’s experience and expertise on best practices in ecotourism and to provide a platform for discussion and engagement among Asean tourism players.Assaffal said: “The State Government is eager to boost Sabah’s tourism industry especially on ecotourism, and the Kinabatangan area has been chosen as one of the sustainable tourism sites for others to learn in their bid to protect wildlife and promote green tourism.“The Kinabatangan River sustains one of the world’s richest ecosystems, being home to Borneo’s indigenous orangutan and proboscis monkey where it is only one of two known places in the world where 10 species of primates are found, and where all the eight species of hornbill found in Borneo thrive.”He stressed that ecotourism is a high-value sub-sector that offers genuine experience and adventure that is unique to a particular locality, and has the potential to become a premier destination, which brings in high-value tourists to the country.“There’s a need to protect and promote these nature-based attraction products to ensure long-term sustainable benefits to the environment. “I consider this programme is important considering the significant commitment by Asean member States to cooperate in sharing their experience and expertise on the best practices in ecotourism for the betterment of Asean region and protect the environment for future generation,” Assaffal P. Alian said.Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s Secretary-General Datuk Isham Ishak said in closing the event, “We aim for Malaysia to be ‘The Capital of Smart Ecotourism Destination.”“This programme is also in-line with the Malaysian Government’s efforts in promoting Sabah as an ecotourism destination with its rich natural environment and cultural diversity.”“I am confident that the Asean Tourism Human Resources Management and Development Network for Ecotourism Programme serves as an impetus towards the enhancement of environmental protection, preservation, and conservation in the Asean region,” Datuk Isham Ishak hoped.The global competitiveness reports and surveys reveal that Asean’s natural and cultural heritage is one of its key competitive strengths.The main weaknesses are in the areas of infrastructure and business environment, regulatory framework and human resources.Developing quality tourism destinations and products remains a major challenge for Asean. The weak performance of the less developed Member States is reflected in the asymmetric nature of the distribution of tourism flows within the region.The challenge therefore is to raise the competitiveness of the tourism sector in the affected Asean member States to bring about a more inclusive distribution of benefits relative to factors such as population and resource capacity.Thus, the focus areas to raise competitiveness are marketing, product development, investments, quality tourism, human resources, connectivity and infrastructure and travel facilitation. Source: Daily Express
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21Jan

Long Pasia among 40 RAS routes in Sabah, Sarawak — Mavcom

KOTA KINABALU: Long Pasia is among the 40 Rural Air Service (RAS) routes to be operated by MASwings under the new Public Service Obligation (PSO) agreement for 2019 to 2024, said Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) chief operating officer, Azmir Zain. He said Long Pasia already has an aviation infrastructure with the existing of Short Take-Off and Landing Ports (STOLports) in the area. “Further discussions with the state government will be held to see the best approach to reactivating and re-operating the STOLport. “We just commenced talks with the Federal government and are also looking to starting a discussion with the (Sabah) state government about reactivating Long Pasia. Malaysia Airports, another stakeholder, also needs to be engaged. “Long Pasia has an advantage as it is an existing facility and is just a matter of reactivating and ensuring it meets the various technical standards,” he told a media briefing here yesterday. Azmir said based on Mavcom’s study, Long Pasia is among rural areas in Sabah that require RAS services to facilitate the folk in the area having an access to other places. He added that besides Long Pasia, rural folk at Bukit Mabong, Kapit, Belaga and Long Silat in Sarawak will also benefit from the RAS services once the infrastructure is developed. Azmir said the RAS programme is important for Sabah and Sarawak’s economic growth, given that it provides a key service to communities, to not only obtain basic necessities. “It also empowers small businesses to grow, while allowing children from these communities to access better education,” he added. According to Azmir, the RAS programme has evolved under the new PSO agreement by being reduced to 40 routes compared with 49 previously, thereby, ensuring the true concept of the service connecting rural, to rural or rural to urban areas. — Bernama Source: Borneo Post
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11Jul

Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve focus for scientific research, ecotourism

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s natural wonders in the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve in Sabdakan is set to be the focus for scientific research and ecotourism development with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) yesterday between Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd. “This joint research collaboration which is based on a matching grant totaling RM211,095 will cover three main objectives: wildlife population, silviculture management (growing and cultivation of trees) and ecotourism potential in KTS Plantations (KTSP),” said KTS Group of Companies deputy managing director Temenggong Dato Vincent Lao. In his address at the signing ceremony, Vincent highlighted that the focus areas identified in the joint research initiative are critical for achieving sustainable forest management in the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR). The signing marked the next phase of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish three-year agreement to enhance cooperation in research, training and academic partnership which was signed between the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), UMS and KTSP. Situated in northeast of Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sandakan, the SLFR is one of the few areas with the highest biodiversity and concentration of rare, threatened and endangered endemic species in Sabah. Much of the reserve is undisturbed with pristine dipterocarp rainforest, and is being managed by KTSPlantation Sdn Bhd. “The protection of the priceless endemic flora and fauna has always been one of our top priorities, but we feel it’s also important that we share the beauty of Sabah’s rainforests with the world,” said Vincent. Apart from developing ecotourism attractions in the reserve, he said research collaboration in the Segaliud Forest Reserve serves as an important platform for the university to carry out research, student’s industrial training and thesis for final year projects. “This joint-research initiative is a fantastic opportunity and we sincerely hope there will be many more collaborations of this nature in the future,” he said. Meanwhile, UMS Vice Chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Kamaruddin D. Mudin said the partnership between the University and KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd seeks to improve sustainable forest management practices through scientific research. “With the signing, we hope this joint research initiative will further enhance understanding and provide better inputs to help resolve strategic challenges needed to improve sustainable forest management,” he said in his speech read by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) Rasid Mail. Meanwhile, Sabah Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan described the initiative as an important step to strengthen research and development activities between UMS and KTS on forest resource management. The text of his speech was delivered by SFD Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests (Research) Dr Robert Ong. “This is an excellent initiative in line with the state government’s efforts to enhance the efficiency of sustainable forest management taking into account the three pillars of sustainability which covers social, environment and economic aspects,” Sam said. He said the state government remains committed to its mission to expand forest conservation efforts and remains on track to achieve its target of 30 per cent Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) by 2025, with current TPAarea at 26 percent or 1.9 million hectares. Source: New Sabah Times
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25Jun

Vision to turn Kiulu into a ‘must visit’ destination

Kota Kinabalu: The Kiulu Tourism Association (KTA) has set a vision to turn this sub district into a "must visit" destination in Sabah with a target of one million visitors annually by 2025. Its President Dr Edmon Guntis said KTA was confident that the effort could be achieved with the cooperation, commitment and teamwork of all stakeholders at all levels, apart from the current political stability. The tourism development in Kiulu is at present influenced by several factors, including the encouraging participation of the local residents in the rural tourism sector. "Hence the association is very much encouraging more people in the more than 100 villages in Kiulu to come together and become part of this industry which can definitely benefit them, especially in economic prosperity," he said here, Saturday. Kiulu, located near the foot of the Crocker Range, is increasingly popular as a rural eco-tourism centre in Sabah, particularly river rafting. Edmon said the tourism industry in Kiulu commenced on a small scale since 20 years ago and has grown today with the participation of more rural tour operators, comprising local residents. He said the significant increase in the number of visitors to several tourism centres in the district since early this year showed that the tourism sector in Kiulu was expanding. "In the first three months of this year, some 22,109 visitors came to Kiulu, a growth of 66 per cent from the corresponding period last year. In 2016, some 27,000 people visited Kiulu with the number increasing to about 53,000 visitors last year while the projection this year was expected to continue growing based on the current industry development, he said. He added that the rural tourism industry in Kiulu had also provided permanent jobs to about 350 residents there. Source: Daily Express
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07Jun

Ukraine to learn from Sabah’s eco-tourism

Penampang: Ukraine wants to learn from Sabah's best practices in developing its eco-tourism products and attracting foreign tourists in huge numbers. Being a country known for its Unesco World Heritage Sites, Ukraine aims to take its tourism industry to greater heights and believes it is possible by learning how Sabah has done it. "This is one area that we can learn from Sabah because it has been very successful in attracting foreign tourists," said the country's Ambassador to Malaysia, Olexander Nechytaylo. He is currently in the State with his wife, Triana, to experience the State level Harvest Festival celebration at Hongkod Koisaan for the first time. The couple attended both the opening and closing ceremonies of the annual celebration. He is also scheduled to meet Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. "Our country looks forward to building a new chapter of relationship with the State Government. For me, I look forward to meeting the new Chief Minister to congratulate him on his appointment," said Nechytaylo, who made his first visit to the State last year. He believes that the relationship between Ukraine and Malaysia will be further strengthened under the leadership of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "Mahathir made an official visit to Ukraine in July 2003. So, we look forward to continuing this friendly relationship," he said. Diplomatic relations between the two countries was established on March 3, 1992, and Malaysia was among the first countries to recognise the independence of Ukraine. He pointed out that Malaysia is fast becoming one of the countries that more Ukranians would want to visit, with the numbers growing between 10 to 15 per cent in recent years. Last year, he said more than 15,000 of his countrymen visited Malaysia. At the same time, he hopes more Malaysians would visit Ukraine, an East European country, which offers many exciting places. "During the recent European Championship final held in Kiev, we had a group of 50 Malaysian soccer fans coming to see the match. Most of them were Liverpool supporters," he said. Other than tourism, Nechytaylo also hopes to see a revival of cooperation in the area of education. In a previous interview with him, Nechytaylo had said that Ukraine has so much to offer, particularly in the fields of engineering, aerospace, medical science and Information Technology. He said Ukraine was part of the Bologna Process, which is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher-education qualifications. - Leonard Alaza Source: Daily Express
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