Locals’ roles in tourism plans minimal – Sipaun
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s geographical advantage and the tourism industry’s strong links with several other industries in the state’s economy encouraged positive impact on the expansion of many industrie, said Institute for Development Studies Sabah (IDS) chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.
Therefore, tourism acted as an effective tool for a broader economic development, especially for rural and low-income areas, he said..
Sipaun said the tourism industry provides alternative sources of income and employment to local communities, thus helping to reduce the rural-urban migration.
“However, in Sabah at many of these tourism destinations, due to limited understanding of the industry and businesses, local communities have minimal roles in determining the future direction of tourism development,” he said.
Sipaun stressed that the main issues faced are that most decisions are made by private sector investors operating the tourism facilities, and in some cases, the local authorities are lagging behind in playing their management and regulatory roles.
He said it is necessary for Sabah’s decision and policy makers to obtain reliable information on tourism development’s impact and operations on the environmental and socio-cultural conditions of tourist destinations.
The Institute for Development Studies (Sabah), in partnership with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and in collaboration with Sabah Tourism Board (STB), is organising a seminar entitled Seminar on Development of Sustainable Tourism in the Rural Areas of Sabah at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa here.
Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew has been invited to officiate the seminar which will be held on Thursday.
“This seminar will provide the avenue for successful tourism operators to share their experience and also to discuss how local communities in areas with tourism potential could become involved to determine a sustainable long-term direction of the industry and their local communities,” Sipuan said.
Three working papers will be presented by speakers from the government agencies and nongovernment organizations within the tourism and conservation industry.
The papers include Overview of the Tourism Industry in Sabah - Issues and Challenges by Suzaini Datuk Sabdin Ghani, general manager of Sabah Tourism Board; Roles of the Government in Managing Natural Resources Sustainably by Indra Purwandita Herry Sunjoto, Senior Assistant Chief Conservator of Forests from the Sabah Forestry Department; and The NGO’s Perspective on Sustainable Management of Community Tourism Products by Albert Teo, director of Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies (BEST) Society.
There will be a panel discussion session by panelists from various backgrounds to share and discuss topics related to sustainable tourism in rural areas in Sabah.
The invited panelists are Julinus @ Jeffrey Bin Jimit, senior manager of Sabah Tourism Board; Rosli Jukrana, representative of Community Ecotourism Co-operative (KOPEL); Walter Kandayon, chairman of Kadamaian Tourism Association Sabah (KaTA); Anne Lasimbang, executive director of Partners of Community Organizations (PACOS) Trust; Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau, chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Putrajaya and Albert Teo, director of BEST Society.
The session will be moderated by Suzaini.