Orang asli take to the streets to mark day for indigenous people

KENINGAU: Indigenous people from around Malaysia gathered on the streets here for a walk to mark International Day for the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Almost all of Malaysia’s indigenous ethnic groups were represented among the 350-strong crowd, who chanted slogans and sang anthems as they marched. The procession started from the Oath Stone at the Keningau District Office and ended at the Keningau Diocese about 3km away. The Oath Stone is a monument built to commemorate the terms under which Sabah, together with Sarawak, joined Malaya to form Malaysia. “We decided to march as a symbolic show of our community’s struggle,” said Beverly Joeman, secretariat director of Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS), the organisers of the event. “And to start the march from the Oath Stone makes it all the more meaningful.” One of the terms inscribed on the Oath Stone guarantees that the traditional customs of Sabahans will be protected and respected. And, in turn, Sabahans will pledge their loyalty to the Government. There was a festive mood throughout the march as police and Rela members helped direct traffic.
At the end of the march, a celebration was held at Keningau Diocese’s Solidarity Hall. It featured cultural performances, traditional sports, traditional food, as well as the unveiling of three traditional knowledge-keepers representing the three regions of Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. The knowledge-keepers are elders in their own villages and will now be tasked with preserving the customs and traditional knowledge of their respective regions. The focus of this year’s celebration is the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a landmark document acknowledging the unique challenges indigenous peoples face while outlining how governments should treat indigenous communities. International Day for the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on Aug 9 every year. The Star’s R.AGE team was there to document the celebration in collaboration with the young members of the JOAS media team. It will be releasing short videos on the R.AGE Facebook page (fb.com/thestarRAGE) over the coming weeks. Source: The Star
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Arnab Village in Ranau earns RM300,000 in a year

KOTA KINABALU: The Arnab Village in Kampung Purakagis, Ranau located about 104km  from here, has generated  RM300,000 in revenue through ticket sales after a year of operation. The new tourism product  in Ranau  which is operated by Jubair Juhinin, a graduate of Aquaculture Science from the University  Malaysia Sabah (UMS), has become one of the tourist  destinations  in the district, besides the Mount of Kinabalu, Sabah  Tea Garden, Poring Hot Spring and  the Tagal Sungai Moroli in Kampung Luanti. Jubair, 27, told Bernama  he had never expected his hobby of keeping rabbits would turn  into a business in the rural tourism industry in Sabah  which promised a bright future. Although the business started with less than RM5,000, with minimum facilities and environmental landscapes, he was optimistic the tourism product which was developed on a 0.2-hectare land would bring good returns. Now, upgrading works are underway gradually at the Arnab Village for visitor convenience. “The upgrading works  include  public facilities such as toilets, garden expansion, rabbit stables and building a souvenir  shop. While for the third phase of development, we will focus on building restaurants and accessory shops. “Besides that, we will build shop lots around villages to be rented by traders to sell craft products, food or related products to help them in generating income,” he said here yesterday. Jubair  was met by Bernama  at the Sabah Rural Tourism Roadshow programme organised by the Sabah Tourism Board. The three-day event started last Friday aimed at showcasing Sabah’s rural based tourism products to tourism industry players and the public at large, besides leveraging the expertise and know-how of industry players in packaging and promoting rural tourism experience to the domestic and international markets. Furthermore, the young entrepreneur said there were 400 rabbits of eight species namely, New Zealand White; Standard Rex; Mini Satin; Lion Head; Netherland Dwarf; Lop Ear; Anggora; and Local Breed, that were released to roam around in a fenced area to enable visitors to take photos and videos of the animal. Jubair said he aimed to keep about 1,000 rabbits at the garden early next year. “For the second year, we aim to attract more visitors with revenue of RM500,000 through ticket sales,” he added. Therefore, he said the Sabah Rural Tourism Roadshow  programme had opened an opportunity for him and his team to expand networking. Admission ticket to the Arnab Village for locals is RM3 (children) and RM5 (adult); while for international visitors RM5 (children) and RM10 (adult) The Arnab Village, the first such tourism product in Sabah is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Source: The Borneo Post
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Rural Folks More Aware of Tourism Initiatives

Kota Kinabalu: There is stronger belief among rural folks that community-driven tourism initiatives can uplift their livelihood, create economic and job opportunities, particularly for their youths. One of the success stories comes from Kadamaian where communities have generated a total earning of RM300,000 in the first six months this year from various tourism products and services offered to domestic and foreign visitors. Their success is a huge statement of the State Government's efforts in promoting rural tourism in Sabah more aggressively since four years ago. "Since Datuk Seri Musa Aman became Chief Minister, tourism has been one of the State's core developments. "We have always been promoting rural tourism but not as aggressively as in the last four years. We in STB (Sabah Tourism Board) set up a rural tourism unit and one of our outcomes is seeing greater awareness among rural communities that tourism can be a source of revenue for them," said board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai when announcing the State's first Rural Tourism Roadshow during a press conference, Tuesday. To be held at Imago Shopping Mall from Aug 5-6, the event he said will unveil to the public what rural tourism in Sabah has to offer particularly Tambunan, Ranau, Kiulu and Kadamaian. "As awareness is growing, more villages and individuals ventured into tourism. Now after four years, it's time for them to show their products and services to the general public," he said. Kadamaian will woo visitors with products such as adventure-filled river activities, hiking trails, caves and waterfalls to name a few. According to Kadamaian Tourism Association (KATA) chairman Walter Duis Kandayon, visitors have a choice of at least 30 villages to explore and experience, each one with their own tourism products and services. He said although their initiatives started two years ago, they generated the six-figure revenue in the first six-month this year, a success the community never expected. "Having seen the results, now everyone's excited about tourism," he said. The profit has enabled the association to develop new tourism products and create economic and employment opportunity for some of their youths. "Ever since tourists have come to our villages, we've seen a growing number of stalls by the roadside. And some of our youths have been earning extra income as guides, life guards and office staff," said Walter. He hoped the upcoming event will get more people to know about rural tourism products in Kadamaian. So far their only means of promotion is through the social media. He also hoped to see more impact from tourism revenue to the livelihood of the community comprising mostly subsistence farmers in five years' time. Apart from Kadamaian, Kiulu is also looking forward to having bigger arrival of visitors to experience the many natural attractions available in the district. Kiulu Tourism Association Lasmin Lopog said the area is already well known for its water rafting activity in the Kiulu River, picnic spots, homestays and the latest activity, the Kiulu Riverside Tracking. Tourists he said will also be able to experience the natural environment and live in farm stays and rough terrains on quad bikes provided. He estimated that there has been an increase of visitors coming to explore tourism products in Kiulu including foreigners from 3,000 in 2016 to 5,000 this year. "The revenue generated from this will certainly benefit the community," he said. The Chief Minister had recently said it was timely that the world knows what the rural areas of Sabah can offer to visitors in terms of tourism products. "It is indeed very important to tell Sabah's rural story to the world including its natural attractions, rich cultural heritage and an array of tourism products. Developing rural tourism will also assist our rural folks in uplifting their livelihood," he had said. During the event there will be quizzes and games such as "butod" (sago worm) eating challenge, treasure hunt, traditional performances and children's activities. - Leonard Alaza and Jeremy Zabala Source: Daily Express
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Rural Tourism Roadshow to Introduce New Attractions

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism Board (STB) will continue to identify new products around the State in tandem with the positive growth of the tourism industry here. As such, STB will lead an event where rural tourism product owners could engage, promote and partner with tour operators. “This is the time to show the world what rural areas in Sabah can offer in terms of tourism products,” said chairman of Sabah Tourism Board, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai during a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Hj Aman. Musa agreed that it is a very good initiative to showcase what Sabah’s rural areas are offering for the thriving tourism industry. “It is indeed very important to tell Sabah’s rural story to the world including its natural attractions, rich cultural heritage and an array of tourism products. Developing rural tourism will also assist our rural folks in uplifting their livelihood. I commend STB on this effort to give touristic value to the lesser known parts of Sabah,” he said. The first Sabah Rural Tourism Roadshow 2017 is about appreciating and publicizing new and available rural tourism products to the general public as well as tourism industry players, who will create promotions and packages for both domestic and international segments. Four districts, namely Kiulu, Ranau, Kadamaian and Tambunan, will be the highlight during the roadshow which will be held on August 5 and 6 at Imago Shopping Mall, which is also sponsoring the venue. Activities like quizzes and games such as butod eating challenge, treasure hunt, traditional performances and games and children’s activities will be available at the event. “This roadshow is the result of a workshop organized by STB in May for district offices that focus on developing district and rural tourism by activating their respective District Tourism Councils. STB has put a huge amount of effort in supporting this initiative since 2014,” said Joniston. Also present during the courtesy call were STB general manager Gordon Yapp, Kiulu Tourism Association president Dr Edmon Guntis, Kadamaian Tourism Association president Walter Kandayon and STB senior product manager Julinus Jimit.   Source: TheBorneoPost
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Joniston pushing for rural tourism programme to empower villagers

KOTA KINABALU: Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai has suggested the introduction of a Rural Mini Tourism Programme to hasten efforts to eradicate poverty and economically empower the rural population. The Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman cited that a study by his board's Product and Rural Tourism Development Unit done at various rural villages throughout the state, revealed their vast tourism potential. Making the suggestion when debating the government policy speech at the state assembly sitting here, he said STB's visits had revealed the eagerness amongst rural communities to participate in tourism initiatives. "We should leverage on the growing awareness and interest among rural folks in tourism to push the industry as an alternative source of income and economic empowerment for them," he asserted. According to Joniston, the rustic charm, and clean and fresh air of rural areas make them attractive to foreign visitors from developed countries like Japan and Korea, who are able to savour the unspoilt environment – an activity known as 'forest bathing' or 'lung washing'. The proposed Rural Mini Tourism Programme would not only take advantage of this fact, but also help create awareness among the rural folks to keep their villages clean and protect the environment, which is critical in attracting visitors, he added. He said the programme could be conducted similar to the Mesej programmes under the auspices of the state Rural Development Ministry. "While Mesej's focus is agriculture and land development, the proposed Rural Mini Tourism Programme could focus on eco-tourism, culture tourism, heritage tourism, traditional food and drinks tourism and adventure tourism," he elaborated.   Source : New Straits Times
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