KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival 2023 (RWMF2023) will be the benchmark for Sarawak’s Responsible Tourism initiative.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said as in previous RWMF, among the initiatives that will be undertaken towards advancing the responsible tourism philosophy are banning of single use plastics, encouraging upcycling of materials and exploring innovative solutions to waste management and even providing shuttle buses to ferry festival-goers to alleviate carbon emission.
“The Sarawak government has long recognised the importance of environmental sustainability in all our efforts, and this has become even more prevalent in our future plans as we recover from the pandemic and strive towards long-term economic growth,” he said.
He said this during the launching ceremony of RWMF2023 at Waterfront Hotel here on yesterday (April 4).
The Responsible Tourism initiative, he said reflects the drive towards attaining the five United Nations 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) namely education and lifelong learning opportunities, sustainable consumption and production, and global partnerships.
“To ensure sustainability of our cultural and natural heritage is addressed, we have been actively championing our responsible initiative in alignment with UNSDG2030, which advocates for responsible people, businesses and governments to maximise positive economic, social and environmental impact on tourism,” he said.
Abdul Karim added that RWMF2023 promises harmony, diversity and culture, connected by music and dance.
“We hope that visitors will experience various emotions in their purest and most authentic form – unforgettable, wild, tribal, cultural and authentic expressions that are unique to Sarawak, worthy of reflection in the coming years,” he added.
He also wants the people to reflect on Sarawak’s true aspiration in advocating responsible tourism against the background of its world famous tropical rainforest.
“The main purpose is to be able to contribute to the positive impact of global sustainability.
“Our commitment to unfolding cultural experiences reflect the aspiration of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for the state to be a ‘leader’ in ‘Responsible Tourism’ – our contribution to peace and prosperity for people and the planet,” he said.
Present during the launching ceremony was Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts of Sarawak, Datuk Sebastian Ting, chief executive officer of Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Sharzede Datuk Salleh Askor and chairman of STB Dennis Ngau.
