KUCHING: Kampung Timurang, a local Bidayuh village famed for the world acclaimed Rafflesia flower, as well as mysterious limestone caves, are pioneers of a ‘community tourism’ project by the Federal Ministry of Tourism.
Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos said this project is to maximise the potential of Timurang, located along Borneo Heights Road near here, as a tourist destination.
If proven successful, a similar programme will be replicated to benefit the Orang Asli community in one of the states in the peninsula.
“Community tourism is one of the strategies to raise the income of rural people in line with the aspirations of the New Economic Model for high-income economy,” he told reporters after opening the ‘Entrepreneurship In Tourism Seminar’ at the old DUN complex, yesterday.
He pointed out that the idea to set up the project at Timurang was due to the lack of promotions for tourism in the Borneo Heights area, since tourist guides often bring tourists only up to the Semengok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre.
According to him, Timurang has many untapped tourism products, such as being the nearest place from Kuching to view the world’s biggest flower Rafflesia, while its caves are linked to tales of enigmatic Japanese soldiers, who invaded Borneo and landed on our shores during World War II.
“The present bunch of tourist guides that we have are mostly urbanites. But do they know the plants and trees at the village… and can they even differentiate between a Durian tree and Meranti tree? Only the kampung people know these and the stories related to it.
“We want the people in the village to be involved and make money. At Borneo Heights, the landscape is very hilly and mountainous, and obviously this is not suitable for the people to plant oil palm trees. Thus, the community tourism industry is best suited for them, and we will train them for it,” he said.
Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos said this project is to maximise the potential of Timurang, located along Borneo Heights Road near here, as a tourist destination.
If proven successful, a similar programme will be replicated to benefit the Orang Asli community in one of the states in the peninsula.
“Community tourism is one of the strategies to raise the income of rural people in line with the aspirations of the New Economic Model for high-income economy,” he told reporters after opening the ‘Entrepreneurship In Tourism Seminar’ at the old DUN complex, yesterday.
He pointed out that the idea to set up the project at Timurang was due to the lack of promotions for tourism in the Borneo Heights area, since tourist guides often bring tourists only up to the Semengok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre.
According to him, Timurang has many untapped tourism products, such as being the nearest place from Kuching to view the world’s biggest flower Rafflesia, while its caves are linked to tales of enigmatic Japanese soldiers, who invaded Borneo and landed on our shores during World War II.
“The present bunch of tourist guides that we have are mostly urbanites. But do they know the plants and trees at the village… and can they even differentiate between a Durian tree and Meranti tree? Only the kampung people know these and the stories related to it.
“We want the people in the village to be involved and make money. At Borneo Heights, the landscape is very hilly and mountainous, and obviously this is not suitable for the people to plant oil palm trees. Thus, the community tourism industry is best suited for them, and we will train them for it,” he said.
Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Community tourism project to raise income of Bidayuh folk
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