Bandar Seri Begawan - Tourism alone is not likely to preserve Kampong Ayer and the cultural heritage it stands for.
The development of Brunei's village on stilts has to factor in economic value that create incentives for its residents to stay on and keep alive what has become a living testimony to the Sultanate's origins, said a representative from one of the consultants hired for the capital's growth masterplan.
For one, Kampong Ayer would benefit from a branding campaign, said Marc Emile Shamma'a, national director of strategic consulting at Jones Lang LaSalle.
As with a logo, a branding campaign brings identity and pride to the community and economic value, he said during the recent Kampong Ayer Design Workshop held at the Planning Information Centre.
"Uniforms on boat drivers bearing the logo of Kg Ayer will increase awareness and this creates an impact on industries in that area. It gives it an identity," said Shamma'a.
One of the key issues is that the village has no specific jetties or secure walkways, he said adding many visitors stay on the boats and some who come with their children don't feel safe about stepping on the walkways.
If Kampong Ayer were to survive as a sustainable community, it should do it on its own rights and merits and not from tourism alone, said Shamma'a.
"It shouldn't be set up purely as a tourist destination. By all means, tourism is a necessary component for the economy, but if the whole thing depends on tourists, and Brunei doesn't attract a huge amount of tourists, it may not sustain itself that way. What we need to do is to make it sustainable in a sense that people who already live there are 'incentivised' to stay on," he explained.
Shamma'a also said that people who moved out previously or live on land should be attracted to come back as a domestic tourist.
"Now people go there but they move around on a boat not knowing where to go. They don't stop and don't spend their money, hence not supporting the local economy in Kampong Ayer. So we want to change that," he said. "We want people to stay and entice them back, and Kampong Ayer becomes a fully fledged district part of Bandar Seri Begawan, rather than what it is now."
In an economic perspective, Shamma'a said they need to see what they would do to attract people back to Kampong Ayer, what are the aspects, what kind of vision would be set for the future and how does that feedback into the development of the capital's masterplan.
"We have to be clear that this is a design exercise to benefit the masterplan," he said.
Asked what kind of economic activities would be ideal for Kg Ayer, he said it could range from activities that attract people to hang out, play football, fly kites or walk along the boardwalk.
"It can be a place to stop, bring people in through any kind of makan place. It could be
a franchise or local food specialties or more extensively, a food centre," he said, adding that as long as it gets the advertising on land, it will draw people there.
Shamma'a said the plans needs to be multi-faceted and encourage people to find work there and attract the return of industries like handicraft which have moved onto land or the handicraft centre.
"If there is a proper facility for those workshops to be in Kampong Ayer, then there should be no reason why they aren't. If they can live and work there, what's lacking? Basic shopping facilities, and we are encouraging that. So we are trying to create the infrastructure of a typical community, wherever you find it, we want to recreate that in Kampong Ayer because at the moment, it doesn't exist," he said.
Shamma'a said realising these ideas will not happen overnight. "It needs a sustained development programme. Waters need to be cleared up, walkways made safe, lighting improved so people can go there day and night, and transport be regularised," he said, adding that all these need to come together as they are almost pre-requisites but can happen in parallel. He went on to say that it may take years and a plan of five years can probably be achieved.
"It all depends on what you prioritise. To say there is a time frame specifically can be dangerous," he said.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times
Source: http://www.brudirect.com
The development of Brunei's village on stilts has to factor in economic value that create incentives for its residents to stay on and keep alive what has become a living testimony to the Sultanate's origins, said a representative from one of the consultants hired for the capital's growth masterplan.
For one, Kampong Ayer would benefit from a branding campaign, said Marc Emile Shamma'a, national director of strategic consulting at Jones Lang LaSalle.
As with a logo, a branding campaign brings identity and pride to the community and economic value, he said during the recent Kampong Ayer Design Workshop held at the Planning Information Centre.
"Uniforms on boat drivers bearing the logo of Kg Ayer will increase awareness and this creates an impact on industries in that area. It gives it an identity," said Shamma'a.
One of the key issues is that the village has no specific jetties or secure walkways, he said adding many visitors stay on the boats and some who come with their children don't feel safe about stepping on the walkways.
If Kampong Ayer were to survive as a sustainable community, it should do it on its own rights and merits and not from tourism alone, said Shamma'a.
"It shouldn't be set up purely as a tourist destination. By all means, tourism is a necessary component for the economy, but if the whole thing depends on tourists, and Brunei doesn't attract a huge amount of tourists, it may not sustain itself that way. What we need to do is to make it sustainable in a sense that people who already live there are 'incentivised' to stay on," he explained.
Shamma'a also said that people who moved out previously or live on land should be attracted to come back as a domestic tourist.
"Now people go there but they move around on a boat not knowing where to go. They don't stop and don't spend their money, hence not supporting the local economy in Kampong Ayer. So we want to change that," he said. "We want people to stay and entice them back, and Kampong Ayer becomes a fully fledged district part of Bandar Seri Begawan, rather than what it is now."
In an economic perspective, Shamma'a said they need to see what they would do to attract people back to Kampong Ayer, what are the aspects, what kind of vision would be set for the future and how does that feedback into the development of the capital's masterplan.
"We have to be clear that this is a design exercise to benefit the masterplan," he said.
Asked what kind of economic activities would be ideal for Kg Ayer, he said it could range from activities that attract people to hang out, play football, fly kites or walk along the boardwalk.
"It can be a place to stop, bring people in through any kind of makan place. It could be
a franchise or local food specialties or more extensively, a food centre," he said, adding that as long as it gets the advertising on land, it will draw people there.
Shamma'a said the plans needs to be multi-faceted and encourage people to find work there and attract the return of industries like handicraft which have moved onto land or the handicraft centre.
"If there is a proper facility for those workshops to be in Kampong Ayer, then there should be no reason why they aren't. If they can live and work there, what's lacking? Basic shopping facilities, and we are encouraging that. So we are trying to create the infrastructure of a typical community, wherever you find it, we want to recreate that in Kampong Ayer because at the moment, it doesn't exist," he said.
Shamma'a said realising these ideas will not happen overnight. "It needs a sustained development programme. Waters need to be cleared up, walkways made safe, lighting improved so people can go there day and night, and transport be regularised," he said, adding that all these need to come together as they are almost pre-requisites but can happen in parallel. He went on to say that it may take years and a plan of five years can probably be achieved.
"It all depends on what you prioritise. To say there is a time frame specifically can be dangerous," he said.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times
Source: http://www.brudirect.com
