In The New Sabah Times 14 th April 2005
By WATI SAMSIAR

KOTA KINABALU: The state government wants to see more investors and tourism operators investing in ecotourism products of quality and value.

This will not only protect and conserve the environment but also generate employment and spin?offs and economic benefits, especially to the rural communities.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat said this in his speech at the launching of a book entitled Saving Paradise: The Story of 'Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL) here yesterday. The text of his speech was read by his deputy Datuk Karim Bujang.

Kah Kiat who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister said the success of Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL), for instance should be emulated by tourism operators so that Sabah would be known internationally for its quality ecotourism products.

"A critical stage in the development of the industry today lies in the need to find ways to self regulate its members and help them to toe the line," he added.

Towards this end, he said the industry needed to cultivate the best practices, develop benchmarks and promote high standards of development and services.

He cited that the SRL was developed as a model ecolodge in line with the state government's ecotourism objectives with WWF partners for Wetlands Vision for Ecotourism Development in the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplains.

It adopted an integrated and proactive approach to encourage preservation of habitat and biodiversity and sustainable use of resources through education and creating awareness among visitors, staff and the local community on conservation.

"At the same time, through best practices, the lodge shows efforts to minimise consumption, waste and pollution, and ensuring that local communities also derive benefits from the development," Kah Kiat said.

Thus, he said the efforts and achievements, of SRL had helped the Kinabatangan .Region earn an international reputation as a premier ecotourism icon.

"I have no doubt that this publication will further enhance the Kinabatangan region as a world class ecotourism product," he said of the book.

The book records the 10 year history of SRL, its achievements and the many challenges it faces.

The book contains recipes and ingredients that will serve as a guide to any ecotourism operator, local and international who wishes to invest in such a businesses and run a sustainable operation.

According to Kah Kiat, the private sector has also been active in developing the area for tourism, and in the past decade more than six lodges have been developed along the Kinabatangan River accordingly to meet demands for wildlife and ecotourism products.

On another note, Kah Kiat urged all operators especially those who operate lodges and tours in fragile environment, not only in Kinabatangan region, to be sensitive to the needs of such environment and ecosystems.

"Our nature resources, within the protected areas or outside, are the very assets on which the tourism industry in Sabah directly or indirectly is based," he said.

"Therefore, tourism players can help nurture the sustainable growth of the industry by adhering to good and ethical practices, by simply avoiding selfish short-term economic gains, and non-sustainable activities at the expense of our nature-based touristic resources and the industry as a whole," Kah Kiat said.

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism businesses must move beyond the provision of goods and services to 'experiences' in order to-thrive in the competition today, said the president of Kalahari Management (Canada) Carol Patterson.

"When we talk about experiences, it is usually not where you stay or eat (during your vacation), but how you feel that matters.

"You have to go up a level, instead of just offering goods and services. You have to sell that 'one of a lifetime' experience, to make a vacation special," she said in her paper entitled Ecotourism Experiences: The Next Generation of Travel Products at the Borneo Ecotourism Conference 2005 .in Pacific Sutera Hotel here yesterday.

Carol was providing insights to participants of the ecotourism industry on how to make their business work- by creating experimental tour for visitors to the State.

Stating changes in consumer preferences today, Carol stated that mass customization is a concept rapidly growing in the West while highlighting an interesting fact that 80 percent of consumer decisions are made through female influence.

Although older people are interested in vacation activities that are active and engaging, most people are still less interested in 'roughing it'," she added.

This is where ecotourism comes in, said Carol, where people often associate the term with suffering or, inconvenience.

Do most people find the idea of a holiday in nature appealing?

Well, according to Carol, most Malaysians would not think of taking ecotourism-based vacation as they had the assumption that they would suffer.

Therefore, a good travel experience would have to be authentic, educational, memorable, fun, convenient and planned, she stated.

Authentic features would allow the tourists to try on other peoples' lives during their travel experience, while educational feature would mean to provide, visitors a chance to learn new skill, information on natural history or culture, or maybe more about that person's inner self (their ability to do something).

"To make an experience memorable, we have to provide behind the scene opportunities ... to let them participate. There should be a chance to meet the local people, and agencies should prepare custom itineraries or activities even to a small group of two people," she said.

Allowing time/ flexibility for spontaneous addition or changes to itinerary is one of the important keys of adding 'fun' in travel, and this might also include positive element of surprise.

As for convenience, travel agents have to assist in minimizing time for visitors to organize their trip, plus provide suggestion of activities while offering value-added services like souvenirs.

A good travel experience should also be planned, meaning they should have great guides, who know how to handle overseas visitors, while adding interpretative scripts - staging of any particular experience that is worked out between the guides earlier for the visitors, Carol stressed.

Local partnerships should also be built, she added, where for instance with any craftsmen or specialty suppliers who could sell products such as Borneo handicrafts.

"To, build an Experiential Tour, one must have a theme for the tour, the Must See areas which is consistent with the theme chosen, behind the scenes opportunities, a chance to get in the act, meet the local people, evening activities when the night falls, and activities and products unique to your community," she added.

Source : The Borneo Post 13th April 2005 by Sandra Sokial