New eco-tourism destination in Kadaiaman constituency
KOTA KINABALU: A new tourist attraction has opened in Kadaiaman constituency as tourism continues to grow in rural areas of Sabah.
The Mindakod eco-tourism has a camping ground with river recreational activities, including learning about the traditional tagal system and hiking. It is located at Kampung Tengkurus in Kota Belud district
The tagal is a natural rehabilitation system practised by locals, where a certain part of the river or forest is closed for hunting and other human activities each year and only allowed to be opened up during certain months.
Chairman of Mindakod ecotourism, Yonggoi Andah, said 48 families are involved in the tourism initiative.
“We have heard many villages in Kota Belud have started operating community-based tourism and are doing very well. This has encouraged us to start ours,” he said.
Mindakod eco-tourism is already receiving campers and hikers, especially on weekends.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the opening of the Mindakod ecotourism shows that Kadamaian has lived up to the expectations as a pilot for rural tourism development.
Also present were Federation of Rural Tourism Associations Sabah (Fertas) President Walter Kandayon, Kadamaian Community Development Leader Demis Rumanti and Mindakod eco-tourism adviser Datuk Awadnir Matanggap.
Joniston, also the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman, said there are now more than 80 tourism operators in Kadamaian, most of which are communitybased.
The aggressive development of rural tourism is part of the state government’s effort to empower rural communities economically.
Kadamaian is one of Sabah’s fastest-developing rural tourism attractions, intending to become a world-class rural tourism destination by 2025.
In January 2019, Kadamaian received the Asean Community Based Tourism Standard 20192021 award at the Asean Tourism Ministers’ Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In 2018, Sabah decided to push for the Kiulu and Kadamaian rural ecotourism pilot projects as announced by the then Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman in the State’s 2018 Budget.
We have heard many villages in Kota Belud have started operating community-based tourism and are doing very well. This has encouraged us to start ours
Yonggoi Andah