“This event is not only to showcase the rural tourism products all around Sabah to both the public at large and tourism industry players, but to leverage the expertise and know-how of industry players to promote and package those rural tourism products to both domestic and international markets,” said YB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board, the main organizer of the event.
“Apart from that, this could be a meeting opportunity between tourism operators and rural tourism product operators promoting rural tourism destinations domestically and internationally. The trend for community-based tourism is soaring; in 2018, total receipts for homestays alone was 6.23 million” added Joniston.
During the three-day roadshow, there will be a total of 56 booths with 50 booths selling local handicrafts and local cuisines. Among the participants for the roadshow are Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism (DASTA) Thailand, the Ministry of Rural Development Sabah, Ministry of Industrial Development Sabah, Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries Sabah, Federation of Rural Tourism Association Sabah (FERTAS), Sabah Homestay Association, Kraftangan Malaysia, Local Malaysia Participation from Tourism Johor & Sarawak and Sabah Parks.
The highlight for the three-day event will be the panel sessions with a combination of panelists representing academics, policy makers & practitioners. One of the sessions, will be by an invited panelist from Thailand ( (DASTA) who will be sharing about Sustainable Tourism Adminstration in Thailand. There will also be cultural performances from various districts in Sabah, traditional games and coloring competitions for children. The public is welcome to attend.
“Beside the exhibition, I hope that all districts participating can fully benefit from the forum and should review significant challenges and also share success stories. We need to work together to achieve our target, which is to place Sabah as an exemplary rural tourism destination and adhere to ASEAN Tourism Standards by 2030. The synergy between public, private, and local communities would enhance rural tourism initiatives,” said Joniston.
