UCSI University staff and student volunteers at Borneo Tribal Village.
KUCHING: Borneo Tribal Village conducted a two-day Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 from July 8 to 9 in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC Sarawak), the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture (MTAC Sarawak) and UCSI University Sarawak.
Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 (BTF 2017) highlighted the arts, music, cultures, customs as well as the traditional crafts, foods and games of local ethnic groups from Sarawak and the rest of Borneo.
The event took place at Kampung Apar Singai, Bau.
The schedule included booth sales of local food and handicrafts, arts and cultural exhibitions, traditional games, cultural concerts, a tribal run, a tourism exhibition, sharing sessions and a special promotional session for the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF).
Cluster leader for MyCenTHE UCSI University Sarawak Campus, Bernard Jussem said: “As a cluster leader, USCI University Sarawak aims to improve the quality of tourism and hospitality education through collaborative partnerships between public and private sectors or clusters to guarantee large scale economic growth in tourism and hospitality.”
“This is a new tourist attraction in Bau, specifically the Singai area, which caters to local and foreign tourists. Being only 30km from Kuching City makes Borneo Tribal Village very accessible to the public.
“The more than 40 UCSI students, especially those enrolled in Tourism and Event Management courses, who participated in the launching of the BTF 2017 acquired a more dynamic understanding of the tourism industry.”
One of the students, Brandon Peter from Miri is in his final year of an Honours Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management described BTF 2017 as “one big fantastic, festive and multi-cultural event which showcased the ideal harmonious lifestyles of the Sarawakian people”.
Brandon’s course mate Dev Ramloll from Mauritius said: “The village is a fascinating platform where the emerging Sarawakian generation can experience the adventurous life of tribal people, learning about various tribal cultures within Sarawak.”
Robinson Ken from Sabah who is doing an Honours Degree in Tourism and Event Management said: “The village was an excellent platform for the younger generation in Sarawak to experience adventure and culture together, fostering a deeper connection among each other, while building character and confidence.”
UCSI University Sarawak chief operating officer Mukvinder Kaur Sandhu said: “It was a pleasure to be a part of this inaugural event, with students and staff from the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management contributing to make the event successful.”
Bernard thanked the event organisers for providing a platform to increase awareness of opportunities in tourism and hospitality in Kuching area.
He hopes to see Tribal Borneo Fest established as a yearly event.