Welcome Rakan Sarawak February 2003

Rangkaian Khidmat Awam Negeri Sarawak

A MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF RAKAN SARAWAK BULLETIN

(People, events, activities and programmes which make for a total quality-managed Sarawak Civil Service)

ISSN 1394-5726

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Contents provided by:

Promote Tourism Benefits to the People, Community Leaders Told

One of the four papers presenter

Community leaders are encouraged to promote and tap business oppor-tunities in tourism to supplement their income and contribute to the growth of this promising industry. This was the gist of the 2-day seminar on Tourism targeted to community leaders which was held at a leading hotel in Kuching from 22-23 May 2003.

The community leaders play an important role in channelling the right message to the people to ensure a synergistic cooperation among the community, the government and the private sector. This message was highlighted in the four papers presented by speakers from the Ministry of Tourism, Universiti Teknologi MARA and a local tour agency.

Organised by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) and sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak the seminar was part of the Ministry’s community development programmes to create awareness and promote the viability of tourism as a source of income for the community.

One of the main objectives of this seminar was to increase the public awareness on the importance and benefits of the tourism industry. With increased knowledge, the seminar hoped to spur active community participation in the industry and at the same time generate more information on current and potential tourism attractions/products.

The seminar was the first in the series of tourism seminars to be held throughout Sarawak. Designed specifically for community leaders, the seminar was attended by more than 30 Temenggong and Pemancas from the Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman Divisions.

The Ministry of Tourism hosted a dinner for the participants to mark the closing of the seminar before taking them on an educational tour to Sarawak Cultural Village the next day.

The three papers presented were Scenario Industri Pelancongan Di Sarawak by Encik Abdul Rahman Sebli (MOT), Peluang Ekonomi dan Bisnes serta faedah-faedah lain dalam Industri Pelancongan and, Penglibatan Aktif Masyarakat Dalam Industri Pelancongan by En. Abang Feizal Abang Ibrahim of Universiti Technologi MARA. Encik Abang Zainuddin Abang Sabang of Borneo Inbound Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd gave a briefing and some practical tips on the success of their homestay programme, in particular, insights on the success of Teluk Melano homestay programme.

Apart from understanding their important role in promoting the tourism industry within their communities, the participants were also exposed to the many possibilities within the industry which they tap to generate extra income to improve their economic status.