Tourism players encouraged to develop an orchid centre
KOTA KINABALU: Tourism players are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to develop an orchid centre, given its potential as a niche tourism product in the state.
The vast range of orchid species endemic to Sabah presents a unique opportunity for the plants to be developed into a tourist attraction, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew.
“Sabah has a special niche market in the orchid industry due to its immense variety of orchids which are native to the land, some of which are used for breeding of hybrids.
“Our island of Borneo is one of the world’s greatest centres for orchid diversity. Although Sabah forms only 10 per cent of the land mass of the island of Borneo, our rich rainforest has an estimated 1,300 orchid species out of 1,660 to 1,700 species found on the island of Borneo.
“Our Mount Kinabalu World Heritage site alone has 870 species in an area of just 120 square kilometres around Sabah Parks. The area has 54% of all the named orchid species in Borneo.
“Most of the orchids are found within the Sabah Parks area, so we don’t yet have a commercial or privately-operated centre for orchids.
“I encourage orchid connoisseurs to take the lead on this initiative. The Ministry will be very happy to support in whatever way we can, such as through sharing information and data from the research centre at Sabah Parks.
“This would be a good effort as it could encourage the tourism sector and help promote unique attractions of the state. We are 100 per cent supportive of these initiatives,” said Liew, at the launch of the Borneo International Orchid Show, yesterday.
The show, organised by the Borneo Orchid Society, received participation from a number of foreign delegates in addition to local enthusiasts and experts, namely from Burma, Thailand and Japan, among others.
Liew also encouraged the Society to expand its network so as to attract participation from more countries, creating a wider market for Sabah tourism.
She further said the study of orchids had put Sabah on the map, with experts from the state contributing to international studies, such as Datuk Chan Chew Lun through National History Publication’s journals and books, as well as Datuk Anthony Lamb as speaker and advisor to renowned orchid gardens such as Singapore Botanic Garden.