SARAWAK is in the process of nominating Niah National Park as its second World Heritage Site under the mixed category for natural and cultural heritage.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said various efforts and tasks had been undertaken by all stakeholders to complete the “Draft Dossier” for voluntary submission to UNESCO, targeted in September 2022.
The “Final Dossier” would be submitted by February 2023, which will be followed with evaluation by advisory bodies for the final decision by UNESCO World Heritage Committee, in July the same year, before Niah National Park could be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
When delivering his ministerial winding – up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today, Karim said Sarawak will put more focus on developing eco-tourism and community-based tourism this year.
He said in the Post COVID=19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) one of the outcomes in the Tourism Sector is to increase community-based tourism by 20 per cent with emphasis to increase the household income of the participating local communities.
“My ministry’s objective is to increase from 46 homestay clusters to 48 clusters this year and initiatives include registration of more homestay clusters, capacity building of the local communities by adding value to their products and services,” he said.
The enhanced attitude, skills and knowledge, he said, will prepare the state’s tourism industry operators and frontliners for the return of the visitors.
Karim pointed out that ecotourism has become an important sustainable economic activity around the world. It provides opportunities for visitors to experience powerful manifestations of nature and culture and to learn about the importance of biodiversity conservation and local cultures.
He also said his ministry was currently promoting ecotourism products such as Sarawak Delta Geopark, Heart of Borneo and Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) in Sarawak.
Sarawak has a total of 67 gazetted TPAs which include 47 national parks, 15 nature reserves and 5 wildlife sanctuaries. The vast TPAs are indeed a rich resource for Sarawak’s eco-tourism.
“With the restarting of tourism, we have seen an increase in visitors to national parks,” he said.
For example, Karim said, Semenggoh Nature Reserve has received 11,453 visitors for January to April 2022 compared to 1,813 17 visitors for the same corresponding period in 2021 which is an increase of 84 per cent; while Bako National Park has received 3,569 visitors for January to April 2022 compared to 1,023 visitors for the same corresponding period in 2021; an increase of 71 per cent.
