( from left) Sabah Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, Dominic, Ismardy, Faulah, Sofian, and former Tourism, Culture and Environment ministry permanent secretary Datuk Yusrie Abdullah at the STB building.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is considering a walking tour across the state as a new tourism product.
Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit said this followed a successful night walk across the state by four people who set out on Feb 1.
He said the four – brothers Ismardy Mosial, 47, a former banker; Sofian, 45, ex-Army; Dominic, 39, a former rock climbing trainer; and Ismardy’s wife Faulah Paul Paimol, 42 a tailor – had started what seemed like a potentially attractive tourism product.
“We want to see how we can engage with them (to devise tours of) Sabah on foot, or maybe come up with similar packages or training for enthusiasts, visiting districts and exploring the unique food, local handicrafts and communities of each place,” he said after welcoming the quartet at the STB office building here on Tuesday (March 25).
Ismardy shared how the four of them spent 52 nights walking from Tun Mustapha Tower and along the coastline to Tuaran, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Pitas, Paitan, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Tawau, Merotai, Kalabakan, Sapulut, Nabawan, Keningau, Tambunan, Penampang and back to Kota Kinabalu.
They said it took them a few months to prepare physically and mentally for the journey, including going for 12km night walks almost every day and changing their sleeping patterns.
He remembered how they slept in camps, under bridges, by the roadside, on riversides, and also in villagers' homes.
“Some people offered to book us homestays for the night, gave us food and drinks and donations to make our journey smoother,” Ismardy said.
He said they wanted to make this a memorable and meaningful experience for themselves, as they were not getting any younger.
“At the same time, we also wanted to do something impactful for the state,” he said, adding that the aim was to be recognised by the Malaysian Book Of Records for their attempt at completing the longest night walk totalling 1,080km across the state.
Dominic spoke about how they encountered wildlife such as elephants on their walks, as well as mouse deer, deer, hornbills and others – even dead snakes.
He said on good days, they were able to make the journey happily but sometimes argued, eventually working things out maturely to complete their mission.
Now, they hope to work with interested parties to promote Sabah via similar walking tours.
