Sabah to promote rural tourism to boost income for remote villages

KOTA KINABALU: Rural folks in remote villages in Sabah can now turn to tourism to enhance their livelihood, says the Sabah Tourism Board (STB).

Its chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said STB was currently identifying rural tourism products in remote villages that could be highlighted and promoted to outsiders.

"We firmly believe that tourism is a cornerstone in empowering rural communities and fostering economic growth,” he said.

To date, STB has catalogued 133 rural tourism products across the 10 poorest districts in Sabah, encompassing community-based tourism, homestays, and privately owned ventures.

The districts are Tongod (six products), Beluran (two), Pitas (five), Kinabatangan (six), Kota Marudu (20), Tuaran (38), Ranau (35), and Lahad Datu (12), which were highlighted by Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli in a recent Dewan Rakyat sitting as poverty-stricken areas based on the Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022 report.

Two others are Nabawan (three products) and Telupid (six), which were listed in the Statistics Department's Poverty Index 2022 report.

Bangkuai, who is also state Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister, highlighted the vital role of tourism in driving economic recovery within these districts.

“The STB's product division is tasked to identify potential rural tourism products and provide essential aid to local communities to grow in tourism,” said Bangkuai.

He expressed hope to meet with Rafizi to present tourism-related initiatives, emphasising the need for cohesive efforts to uplift Sabah from the poverty line.

“I believe it's crucial to involve the Federal Economy Ministry in our endeavours as this will enable them to understand better how they can support Sabah's journey out of poverty.

“As most rural folks are farmers, we also see great potential in translating agricultural activities into agro-tourism experiences," he said, adding that the development of tourism products focusing on the poorest districts was brought up during STB’s Product Rural Tourism Committee meeting.