KUCHING: Dr Hiram Ting is the first Sarawakian to be appointed as a panel member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
As the leading international organisation in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah congratulated Ting on his appointment when presenting the certificate of appointment to him.
“This appointment is significant not only to the ministry, but also to Sarawak and Malaysia.
“I am made to understand that the UNWTO needs someone in Southeast Asia or Far East to enrich their data and analysis in relation to tourism barometer and outputs.
“It is an honour for Hiram to be included as the Panel of Tourism Experts,” Abdul Karim said in a statement today.
The appointment came after Abdul Karim’s official visit to the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid on March 10.
It was Sarawak’s first visit to the UNWTO, led by Abdul Karim, to explore opportunities for collaboration and strengthen their partnership to accelerate tourism recovery and sustainable development.
Among the important matters discussed were responsible tourism initiatives, sustainable tourism policies and practices as well as tourism marketing intelligence and data management.
Ting was among the Sarawak delegation to Madrid as his academic background and expertise in tourism are relevant to the advancement of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.
As a member of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts, he is tasked to contribute his inputs to the evaluation of tourism performance and short-term prospects, which serves as a basis for updating the UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index.
Ting, who is also the director of Responsible Borneo and chairman of Sarawak Research Society, is currently attached to the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, UCSI University in Sarawak as an associate professor.
The university is now ranked as the 34th best university globally for Hospitality and Leisure Management.
He has been working closely with the ministry in recent years, particularly in areas related to responsible tourism, such as the publication of Journal of Responsible Tourism Management (JRTM), International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH), Sarawak Youth Talent (SYT) and World Tourism Day (WTD) Conference in Sarawak.
The impact of his work goes beyond Sarawak, as seen in his efforts to lead the global responsible tourism movement in Southeast Asia through the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) and advocate real impact in the capacity of an Ambassador for Emerald Publishing in East Asia.
His recent projects with the ministry include the responsible tourism blueprint and the green and gold tourism among the communities.
