KUCHING: Gunung Lesong in Sri Aman division holds exceptional heritage value that can be packaged and promoted as a significant tourism product.
Chairman of the Gunung Lesong Community-Based Eco Tourism (GLCBET) Development Committee, Dr Victor Luna Amin, said the Gunung Lesong Eco-tourism Complex was established to empower the local community residing in the Gunung Lesong National Park area, including Batang Lupar and Batang Seterap.
He said this effort is aimed at actively involving the community in socio-economic activities while contributing to the conservation of natural resources.
“With the strategic development of eco-tourism products targeting specific tourist groups, along with appropriate promotion and training programmes for the community, it will undoubtedly benefit the local population.
“Therefore, improving the lives of the community, including upgrading infrastructure, will certainly attract more tourists, provide employment opportunities to the community, and contribute to the economy of Sri Aman and Sarawak as a whole,” he said.
He made these remarks during the GLCBET Meeting Series 2/2023 at a hotel here, today (Oct 23).
The Gunung Lesong Eco-tourism Complex has seven development projects that have been approved by the Sri Aman Development Agency (SADA).
Most of these projects are still in the consultant appointment stage, site approval and tendering stages.
Meanwhile, some of the potential tourism products that can be developed include a botanical garden, self-guided indigenous forest trails, education and volunteering, river cruises, rewilding, integrating agrofarming and aquaculture, agroforestry projects with eco-tourism, tent sites, village stay programmes, and KampungStay.
Each of these eco-tourism facilities will be a vital asset in community-based eco-tourism management, providing quality services to tourists visiting Gunung Lesong.
