Get into tourism industry — Dawos

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TOURISM A MONEY SPINNER: Dawos delivering his speech at the 2011 Bidayuh Biatah Gawai Pageant.

KUCHING:The Bidayuh community living along the Puncak Borneo highway area should take advantage of the highland’s beautiful surrounding by partaking in the tourism industry.

Making the call, Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit stated that last year, tourism was the second biggest industry in the country generating a total of RM56.5 billion through visiting foreign tourists.

With the country targeting to generate a whopping RM168 billion through the tourism sector in the year 2020, the Mambong MP asked the people to think for themselves how much of that amount would be generated in the state. As such, he advised the rural community to join the bandwagon and promote their area to enjoy the lucrative income that the industry has to offer.

“The government is establishing many strategies to develop the tourism sector. Being a deputy minister myself, I would ensure that many of those projects would be focused in the state.

“There are many tourism potentials that are yet to be tapped in Puncak Borneo. We have the Panchor Hot Spring that would undergo a RM500,000 facelift this year, we have rafflesias growing in the mountains and with the Annah Rais cultural village, all of these could be used to promote tourism in the Mambong constituency.

“This is what all the rural communities can take advantage of by participating as tourism agents,” highlighted Dawos when delivering his speech at the 2011 Bidayuh Biatah Gawai Pageant held a local restaurant at Siburan near here on Saturday night.

Dawos pointed out that if a tourist agent could earn some RM150 per tourist just by bringing them to Semenggok Wildlife Park for a two-to-three hour trip, the rural communities could generate as much income by bringing tourists to their villages.

“For example, if you bring a total of 10 foreign tourists to visit such attractions, at RM150 each, you easily earn about RM1,500. Minus the operating cost, say, 50 per cent at maximum, we could still earn about RM750 per day. Imagine how much one can earn in a month,” explained Dawos, stressing that the villagers should not miss out on the opportunity.

He also suggested that the villagers open up a tourist agency to tap the potentials.

Touching on Panchor Hot Spring, he mentioned that it is regarded as the biggest hot water source in the country, adding  that research by the Geological Department revealed that water quality from the hot spring is very impressive and is able to cure diabetes, heart condition and even female impotency.

Also present at the event were Tarat assemblyman Roland Sagah and Regional Economic Development Authority (Recoda) chief executive officer Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot.