MALAYSIA- According to the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), a thorough data collection effort from district tourism associations and important operators is required to assess the effectiveness of rural tourism projects in the state.
At a Product Rural Tourism Committee (PRTC) meeting on Wednesday, July 3, STB chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai emphasized the significance of this data collection, stressing its need for sustained development and strategic planning.
He claimed that a more systematic method of assessing the success of rural and community-based tourism was warranted after ten years of development.
“To build a complete picture of our rural tourism landscape for informed decision-making, we need everyone’s input,” Bangkuai stated.
According to him, STB can guarantee efficient resource utilization, better understand the effects of rural tourism, and pinpoint areas for improvement by gathering reliable data from every district.
Collaborating to collect and evaluate data, he claimed, will enable interested parties to guarantee that Sabah’s rural tourism industry prospers, providing tourists with distinctive experiences while bolstering the local economy.
According to Bangkuai, the STB has now gathered information from the Tambunan Tourism Association, the Kadamaian Tourism Association, and the Kiulu Tourism Association between 2017 and 2022.
Kadamaian had a sharp increase in visits from 80,000 in 2017 and RM900,000 in revenues to 216,882 in 2019 and RM2.57 million in receipts; in contrast, 72,871 visitors in 2022 brought in RM2.21 million.
In 2017, Kiulu recorded 53,000 visits and RM4 million in revenue. Over time, the number of visitors varied, reaching 79,935 in 2022 and generating RM2.79 million.
In 2017, Tambunan saw 83,000 tourists and RM4.15 million in revenue. Subsequent years saw fluctuating numbers of visitors, with 16,279 in 2020 rising to 71,550 in 2022 and RM2.92 million in revenue.
A proposal to host a KITA Food Festival in Sabah, which intends to attract chefs to the state and investigate indigenous foods while promoting gastronomy, was also discussed during the PRTC conference.
