242 take part in sustainable rural tourism seminar
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 242 participants took part in the International Seminar on Sustainable Rural Tourism Development organized by the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accounting (FPEP) with the Borneo Tourism Research Centre of University Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Themed Sustainable Rural Tourism Opportunities and Strategies, the seminar was held online using the Cisco Webex platform, recently.
The head of UMS FPEP Tourism Management Program and organizing chairman, Associate Prof Dr Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagus, said the seminar aims to provide exposure to participants on current strategies for the implementation of rural tourism.
“It is also a platform for them to share experiences and exchange views on the concept of tourism,” he said.
“At the same time, it also examines the topic of discussion from various perspectives by featuring speakers and guest speakers from UMS and several international experts with extensive experience in this field,” he added.
The seminar was officiated by UMS FPEP dean Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Md Mansur.
In his speech, Dr Kasim said rural tourism has great potential among local and international tourists.
“Although the market has not fully developed, rural tourism is seen to have high potential to thrive. This is becuase it is able to provide a different experience for all tourists who come to visit,” said Dr Kasim.
“Here, they can enjoy the beauty of nature and experience living in the countryside.
“And, indeed, a tourism system takes into account that the care of the environment is something very desirable. Because conservation of nature is one of the challenges faced in the tourism industry, if it wants to continue to remain sustainable and resilient.
“Therefore, the organization of this seminar is very timely to find strategies on the best method to implement sustainable rural tourism by maintaining the beauty of flora and fauna,” he said.
All participants who took part in the one-day seminar represented 70 organizations from China, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, Turkey and Malaysia.
The organization is sponsored by the UMS Niche Grant Scheme, a research fund that promotes focused research in an effort to increase the visibility of the university with high-impact research results and positive contributions to society.