Bandar Seri Begawan - Kalimantan has expressed interest in taking part in the joint ecotourism package that Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak have been actively promoting, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources said at a press conference yesterday.
Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab said delegates from the Indonesian state expressed their interest in coming onboard with their Heart of Borneo (HoB) partners during the fourth trilateral HoB meeting hosted by Brunei earlier this week.
The idea for the joint ecotourism package was revisited during a bilateral meeting between Tourism Malaysia Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen and Brunei Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar during the Mean Tourism Forum 2010, which Brunei also hosted in January.
"Kalimantan said that they would like to ride on the same initiative," Dato Paduka flj Hamdillah said.
"What that means to me is that there is a clear recognition from the members of the HoB to capitalise on the benefits of ecotourism through sustainability in the HoB in
itiative," he added.
Sarawak's Tourism and Heritage Minister previously called for stronger collaboration between Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak, stressing packaging Borneo as a joint destination is a "win-win situation".
Dato Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said that under the package, tourists can see Southeast Asia's tallest mountain, the richest Sultanate in the world and one of the biggest caves in the three respective destinations.
Brunei has also been leading Sabah and Sarawak to market Borneo as a single destination in travel fairs across Australia and other parts of the world.
The deputy minister also highlighted that the trilateral HoB meeting stressed the need for increased partnership between the HoB members.
In this regard, Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah reiterated the possibility for Brunei to market its Sungai Ingei Protection Forest in Belait District as another ecotourism product with could be jointly promoted with the nearby Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
This came into light especially after it was decided that Sg Ingei would be made into a national park, with the establishment of a research facility planned in Ingei, which was
announced during the two-day workshop "The Next Frontier: Forests to Reefs - Challenges and Opportunities" that concluded yesterday.
"From the evidence in the workshop, it is very clear Sg Ingei has huge potential for ecotourism," Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah said.
Universiti Brunei Darussalam is heading an initiative, supported by regional scientists, to list the diverse wildlife found at Sg Ingei, which the deputy minister said was a necessary move before it could be turned into an ecotourism product.
"The idea is to build up a database on the level of biodiversity, flora and fauna, in Sg Ingei," he said.
"There is a future here for us (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia) to work more closely and capitalise on the existing sustainable ecotourism so it will benefit not just the travel agents and tour operators, but more importantly - for me - the people living in the rural areas".-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times (DATE_FORMAT_LC2)
Source: http://www.brudirect.com
Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab said delegates from the Indonesian state expressed their interest in coming onboard with their Heart of Borneo (HoB) partners during the fourth trilateral HoB meeting hosted by Brunei earlier this week.
The idea for the joint ecotourism package was revisited during a bilateral meeting between Tourism Malaysia Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen and Brunei Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar during the Mean Tourism Forum 2010, which Brunei also hosted in January.
"Kalimantan said that they would like to ride on the same initiative," Dato Paduka flj Hamdillah said.
"What that means to me is that there is a clear recognition from the members of the HoB to capitalise on the benefits of ecotourism through sustainability in the HoB in
itiative," he added.
Sarawak's Tourism and Heritage Minister previously called for stronger collaboration between Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak, stressing packaging Borneo as a joint destination is a "win-win situation".
Dato Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said that under the package, tourists can see Southeast Asia's tallest mountain, the richest Sultanate in the world and one of the biggest caves in the three respective destinations.
Brunei has also been leading Sabah and Sarawak to market Borneo as a single destination in travel fairs across Australia and other parts of the world.
The deputy minister also highlighted that the trilateral HoB meeting stressed the need for increased partnership between the HoB members.
In this regard, Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah reiterated the possibility for Brunei to market its Sungai Ingei Protection Forest in Belait District as another ecotourism product with could be jointly promoted with the nearby Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
This came into light especially after it was decided that Sg Ingei would be made into a national park, with the establishment of a research facility planned in Ingei, which was
announced during the two-day workshop "The Next Frontier: Forests to Reefs - Challenges and Opportunities" that concluded yesterday.
"From the evidence in the workshop, it is very clear Sg Ingei has huge potential for ecotourism," Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah said.
Universiti Brunei Darussalam is heading an initiative, supported by regional scientists, to list the diverse wildlife found at Sg Ingei, which the deputy minister said was a necessary move before it could be turned into an ecotourism product.
"The idea is to build up a database on the level of biodiversity, flora and fauna, in Sg Ingei," he said.
"There is a future here for us (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia) to work more closely and capitalise on the existing sustainable ecotourism so it will benefit not just the travel agents and tour operators, but more importantly - for me - the people living in the rural areas".-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times (DATE_FORMAT_LC2)
Source: http://www.brudirect.com
