IDEAL JUNGLE TREKKING SITE: Kemuyang Youth Camp – popular site for jungle trekking.
MOMENT OF TRUTH: Catholic High School students go for jungle trekking at Kemuyang Youth Camp.
SIBU: Jungle trekking is an ideal product to target tourists from Germany as they love outdoor adventure.
Veteran tour operator Johnny Wong who gave this suggestion yesterday, recalled that he once packaged a tour for this segment of tourists.
“There are many types of tourists and naturally, their expectations and needs are diverse. Some are thrilled at the thought of eco-tourism while others prefer to visit longhouses as they love culture and traditions.
“Then there are those who love to sample historical places or go sightseeing. The Americans for example, love to sample food and local delicacies and it is ideal to target this segment of tourist.
“On the other hand, the Germans get excited about jungle trekking,” said Wong, who is also Sarawak Central Region Hotels Association chairman.
He was asked if jungle trekking could be another tourism product to lure tourists to Sibu.
Towards this end, he pointed out that there must be adequate safety in place to organise such activity.
“Operators need to ensure the safety of tourists, keeping them safe and sound while they go about jungle trekking.”
Meanwhile, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Sibu executive Rudy Anoi too opined that jungle trekking could be an ideal tourism product to offer those who love outdoors as they are in constant search for new places to explore.
“For those tourists who love outdoors, they would keep searching for a new area to explore in jungle trekking and enjoy the breath-taking beauty of nature. Here, we have some areas to organise the outdoor activities.
“YMCA camp, Kemuyang Youth Camp and Bukit Lima Forest Park could be good starting points for enthusiasts to do jungle trekking,” Rudy said, adding that all activities had to be pre-organised while some areas required permission from the management concerned.
Meanwhile, some 70 students from Catholic High School went on a jungle trek at Kemuyang Youth Camp here on Wednesday morning.
The students divided into groups of 10, went into secondary jungle in batches with camp guides for escort.
They were briefed on the do’s and don’ts such as staying away from ponds and to stick closely with the group in the interest of safety.
The trek was to sharpen the students’ leadership skills and teamwork spirit.
They were seen enjoying themselves despite having to endure tiring activity.