PRODUCT VISIT: Pahon (standing fourth right) with some of the key industry players during their visit yesterday.
KUCHING: The Tourism and Heritage Ministry continues to work closely with tourism industry players to improve and add value to the unique tourism products that the state has.
“The ministry aims to bring people together to experience what the tourism product is actually like as well as to discuss issues in a more open and interactive manner,” said permanent secretary Datu Ik Pahon Joyik.
He was speaking to reporters after a product visit to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre yesterday.
According to Pahon, as part of an ongoing initiative by the ministry, the product visit is to update and also to get feedback from industry players.
“Sometimes it is easier to discuss and settle issues face to face, like during the briefing by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) earlier on, instead of using memos. If just by writing, issues may take months to settle,” he said.
Earlier in the afternoon, over 20 members from Sarawak Tourism Federation and tour agencies were given a briefing about the centre by park ranger Jen Sangel.
Semenggoh is the oldest forest reserve in the state and is home to 26 orang utans and various species of indigenous plants. It is the most visited nature reserve with 38,000 visitors in 2010, due to its easy accessibility and proximity to the airport and city centre.
“SFC submits the visitor figures every month to the ministry to monitor. The figure is one basis for the government in giving funding for upgrading works,” said Pahon.
Among the issues brought up during the briefing was the upgrading works of the Centre, which include road maintenance, covered bridge-cum-shelter upgrade and construction of a new amphitheatre.
The ministry will be conducting a product visit to Matang Wildlife Centre next week, with a similar objective.
Meanwhile, SFC community development and conservation manager Victor Luna said SFC has been considering the idea of setting up a night safari at Semenggoh.
“This has not been implemented and is still under consideration. We have to see the options and we need to discuss this thoroughly. If we do implement it, it will be ‘killing two birds with one stone’. Besides patrolling the boundary of the nature reserve to detect any encroachment, it will also provide as a tourism attraction and learning product,” he said.