By PAUL MU
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Government is strengthening community-based tourism (CBT) and agro-tourism in interior areas such as Keningau, Tenom and Nabawan to create jobs and increase local incomes.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) was focusing on identifying and developing potential tourism products through improved facilities, capacity-building training, package development, marketing and promotion.
Jafry was responding to Liawan Assemblyman Datuk Nik Mohd Nadzri bin Nik Zawawi during the question-and-answer session at the State Legislative Assembly sitting.
He said STB also guided community tourism operators towards compliance with ASEAN Tourism Standards to improve the competitiveness of their products.
Jafry said STB supported an initiative by the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) to organise a familiarisation trip for its members to interior districts, including Keningau and Tenom, this year.
The programme led to the development of new community-based and agro-tourism packages, which are now being promoted through platforms such as MATTA Fair and ITE Hong Kong to attract more visitors to the interior.
In Nabawan, Jafry said the board supported the launch of the Kabulongou Earth Initiative, a new tourism product combining sustainable tourism, agroforestry and forest conservation through collaboration with local communities.
The initiative involves private tourism operators and three local communities working to restore 1,000 acres of forest through agroforestry, silviculture and sustainable tourism.
Jafry said the board was also supporting the Keningau Tourism and Culture Association in organising a Safety and Emergency Management Workshop in August to improve the skills of tourism operators and strengthen visitors’ confidence in local tourism products.
He said the government was confident that continued development of CBT and agro-tourism would create more economic opportunities and improve the socio-economic wellbeing of rural communities.
Jafry said STB also guided community tourism operators towards compliance with ASEAN Tourism Standards to improve the competitiveness of their products.
