In Semporna, sustainable tourism is the dream

Two pairs of Bajau Laut children decked in their colourful traditional attire are dancing on a temporary pontoon platform on a small island in Semporna, Sabah.

This is in Pulau Mantabuan, about 30 minutes from town via speedboat, and one of eight islands within the state’s protected Tun Sakaran Marine Park. It is also one of the most popular stops for tourists doing an island hopping tour package in Semporna.

On this particular weekend in September, visitors to Pulau Mantabuan got to be part of a special cultural event – the Pesta Igal-Igal 2026.

Co-organised by Koperasi Alam Laut Silangau Semporna Berhad (or Kopsi) and Sandakan-based non-governmental organisation Future Alam Borneo, this inaugural two-day festival was held to celebrate the culture and heritage of the Bajau people, including the Bajau Laut, as well as other local communities.

Alongside that, the event also highlighted the importance of marine conservation and sustainable living, especially in relation to the development of Semporna and the enrichment of its people’s lives.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry deputy permanent secretary Rimi Repin attended the event on the first day, with numerous other officials and special guests. “The igal-igal (dance) is among the cultural treasures that hold their own unique value and have been passed down from generation to generation. The beauty of its movements ... reflects the richness of the culture and creativity of the local community,” she says in her speech, commenting on the festival’s name.

“We want igal-igal to be recognised not only among the local community, but also introduced to visitors from Malaysia and abroad as part of Semporna’s cultural identity,” she continues, adding, “... community-based programmes have the potential to become an ongoing platform for promoting cultural heritage and the unique tourism attractions of the marine park areas.”

Anton Ngui, founder and chairman of Future Alam Borneo, meanwhile, hopes to hold future Pesta Igal-Igal events on the other islands in the marine park. “We hope to put this floating platform in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, rotating among the eight islands each year. We will continue to work with authorities like Sabah Parks, so that the environmental emphasis of the festival is further strengthened,” he says.

Semporna may be well known for its numerous beautiful islands with crystal clear turquoise waters, but it also has serious environmental and socio-economic problems that seem to have gotten worse over the years due to the rapid growth of mass tourism there.

Ngui (right) showing off some of the exhibits at the festival to Rimi (centre, in black). — Kopsi

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, Semporna in 2025 received 560,077 visitors; another 157,673 arrivals have been recorded from January to April this year.

The district itself has an estimated population of between 180,000 and 220,000.

Plastic pollution, which mainly stems from the lack of access to clean water on the islands, is one of the biggest issues around. This in turn leads to a disruption in the locals’ income, many of whom make a living from the sea, either as fishermen, diving/snorkelling instructors or tour boat drivers.

“I want to reconnect the Bajau people and culture to the spirits of the ocean. Where once their lives revolved completely around the sea, they are now seen as ‘beggars’ in their own environment. This has to do with the mass tourism influx that is causing considerable damage to the marine environment here, from plastic pollution and fish bombing to drug abuse and rampant begging,” says Ngui.

The problem is a never-ending cycle, too: The town is heavily dependent on tourism so it constantly needs tourists to visit, but the more tourists there are the harder and costlier it gets to keep the islands clean. Resorts on the islands have a limited supply of clean water so hundreds of cartons of bottled drinking water are sent over every day for guests and staff.

Semporna also does not have a well-structured waste management programme, so people find other ways to deal with the rubbish situation, sometimes in damaging ways like dumping it into the sea.

“It happens,” says a local who declined to be named. He continues to say that although everyone knows where the trash bins are, some people “just don’t care”.

Adzmin Fatta, senior programme manager of Reef Check Malaysia and co-founder of Green Semporna, says that it is this kind of attitude among community members that needs to change for Semporna to improve.

“I grew up in these conditions and I want things to be better, but we must break this cycle ourselves. We need to take action, and be accountable for these things. It is time for us to stop relying on outsiders to help us, and learn to keep our own homes safe and clean,” Adzmin shares.

He is not just passionate about developing the town in sustainable ways, he also wants to empower the people, especially the younger ones, to take ownership of their future.

Adzmin is passionate about preserving Semporna's maritime heritage and empowering local youths. — MELODY L. GOH/The Star

This entails facing the challenges head on, and through both Green Semporna and Reef Check Malaysia, Adzmin believes it is achievable. Reef Check is an NGO that focuses on marine conservation including monitoring, restoring and protecting coral reef ecosystems in Malaysia; Semporna is one of the special projects overseen by its Sabah branch.

Green Semporna, meanwhile, is a grassroots-level youth environmental club.

“We connect and engage with local communities on marine conservation, starting with coral reef protection. The ocean is our life and a big part of our heritage here in Semporna and it is only right that we learn how to take care of it.

“And we start by educating people on how to do this,” he explains.

Adzmin has mentored numerous local youths via the organisations and proudly spoke of their achievements at the festival.

Collective effort

Reef Check is among the handful of NGOs, agencies and collectives that participated in Pesta Igal Igal. Through the universal theme of marine conservation and heritage preservation, the exhibitors not only showcased their latest conservation projects, but some also talked about their missions and the work they do in Semporna.

For example, the Marine Research Foundation (MRF), a Sabah-based non-profit research foundation, talked about its “Turtle Excluder Device” or TED, a seemingly simple yet highly effective contraption that helps reduce the accidental by-catch of turtles in shrimp trawl nets.

Since 2017, registered fishing boats in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor are legally required to fix TEDs to their nets whenever they go out to catch.

The floating platform at Pulau Mantabuan set up for Pesta Igal-Igal 2026. — MELODY L. GOH/The Star

“In Sabah, there are over 1,000 registered fishing boats so we’re still trying to reach ou t to everyone and talk to them about the benefits of TED. Some are already aware and the response has been good, but it will take some time to get everyone on board,” says Liyana Izwin Khalid, principal programme officer at MRF.

Sabah’s art collective Pangrok Sulap, known for its active participation in movements and projects that empower rural and marginalised communities, showcased their work, Masyarakat Adat Laut, which highlights the nomadic sea life of the Bajau Laut and their relationships with the people and environment around them.

The group also held woodcut and printmaking workshops.

Apart from these educational engagements, there were also numerous cultural performances including various iterations of the igal-igal, a traditional Bajau Laut dance, a musical theatre show, poetry reading and singing.

Other participants and guest speakers included WWF-Malaysia (Sabah), Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Borneo Marine Research Institute, Semporna Islands Project, Wanita Pulau Omadal, Borneo Komrad, Iskul Sama Dilaut Omadal, and Dr Ng Keng-Khoon, who spoke about the book, Bajautopia. Released in 2022, Bajautopia is a non-profit publication that combines articles and architectural research with visual art to explore the lives, struggles and futures of the Bajau Laut people.

One of the members from the Borneo Komrad performing a heartfelt song, with Pangrok Sulap’s artwork, Masyarakat Adat Laut, in the background — IAN ASHLEY/Pangrok Sulap

Another speaker, freediver Maria Noella Zosa from the Philippines, talked about the art of freediving and how it relates to marine conservation. She also gave a live freediving demonstration with a handful of guests taking part.

“It’s not just freeing – the only ‘equipment’ you need is your lungs – it is also better for the environment,” says Zosa.

In fact, some researchers use freedivers to tag marine creatures because they are able to approach them more naturally, without the presence of excessive bubbles and noise from diving gear.

“It’s a different feeling and experience altogether. And you also don’t harm or shock the marine life, which is so important,” she continues.

Locals know that when you live by the rules of the sea, you get to enjoy its bounty. Organisations are already putting in the effort to ensure that water activities and programmes in Semporna are run sustainably.

Hopefully, more tourists will also recognise the importance of marine and cultural preservation, and actively contribute to safeguarding the future each time they visit island destinations.