Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, August 22, 2008
HRH inspects progress of marine eco-tourism projects
HRH inspects progress of marine eco-tourism projects
Royal working visit: HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah (L), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, during his working visit to fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites yesterday. Also present were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab (2nd R) and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail (R). Picture: Courtesy of infofotoBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, continued his series of working visits yesterday with a tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR).
Upon his arrival at the site, the Crown Prince was greeted by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat and Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail.
The visit was aimed at monitoring the progress and development of businesses and institutions, including the economic activities which are aligned with MIPR's efforts in promoting economic diversification.
The economic activities under the ministry are expected to generate opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enhance the country's economic competitiveness in the international arena, and attract foreign direct investment to the country.
His Royal Highness' visit began with a tour of HT Enterprise, which handles the fisheries eco-tourism project.
The company, which also lists crab and fish breeding as its business activities, is among one of the successful participants of financial assistance through the Enterprise Facilitation Scheme from His Majesty's Government.
The company's site, located along Brunei Bay's mangrove forest swamp, is around 2.25 hectares in size and is expected to see the completion of construction of 15 chalets, a restaurant and the conference room by December this year.
The Crown Prince also took a closer look at the construction of chalets and other facilities at sites related to the project's implementation.
The visit then continued to the Fish Landing Centre in Muara where His Royal Highness boarded a special vehicle to continue the tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism sites located two nautical miles off the coast in surrounding Pilong-Pilongan Island.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was presented with a demonstration of enforcement operations by the Marine Police and Internal Security Division which secure and patrol the safety zone within 500 metres of restricted areas along oil and gas platforms and within Brunei waters.
The demonstration also included a fishing display orchestrated by two trawler fishing vessels which showed His Royal Highness the process and type of fishing that is carried out within the waters.
As of 2008, only 15 commercial trawlers are operating in Zone two (three to 20 nautical miles) in Brunei waters.
The maritime areas within the waters surrounding the Pilong-Pilongan Island are among the many locations rich with diverse marine life and has a high potential for resources within the fisheries industry.
The site has the potential to offer an estimated $27 million within the span of five years through various recreational activities, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and wildlife preservation.
Coral reefs within the area are also among the exotic locations off the west coast. It has been identified as one of the sites for the development of offshore cages for fish breeding with an estimated area of over 200 hectares.
His Royal Highness also took the opportunity to view the highlights that were transmitted through an undersea remote operating vehicle (ROV) followed by a scuba diving demonstration that showed monitoring and assessment procedures carried out to inspect the coral reefs. (SRH1)
The Brunei Times
Royal working visit: HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah (L), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, during his working visit to fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites yesterday. Also present were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab (2nd R) and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail (R). Picture: Courtesy of infofotoBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, continued his series of working visits yesterday with a tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR).
Upon his arrival at the site, the Crown Prince was greeted by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat and Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail.
The visit was aimed at monitoring the progress and development of businesses and institutions, including the economic activities which are aligned with MIPR's efforts in promoting economic diversification.
The economic activities under the ministry are expected to generate opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enhance the country's economic competitiveness in the international arena, and attract foreign direct investment to the country.
His Royal Highness' visit began with a tour of HT Enterprise, which handles the fisheries eco-tourism project.
The company, which also lists crab and fish breeding as its business activities, is among one of the successful participants of financial assistance through the Enterprise Facilitation Scheme from His Majesty's Government.
The company's site, located along Brunei Bay's mangrove forest swamp, is around 2.25 hectares in size and is expected to see the completion of construction of 15 chalets, a restaurant and the conference room by December this year.
The Crown Prince also took a closer look at the construction of chalets and other facilities at sites related to the project's implementation.
The visit then continued to the Fish Landing Centre in Muara where His Royal Highness boarded a special vehicle to continue the tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism sites located two nautical miles off the coast in surrounding Pilong-Pilongan Island.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was presented with a demonstration of enforcement operations by the Marine Police and Internal Security Division which secure and patrol the safety zone within 500 metres of restricted areas along oil and gas platforms and within Brunei waters.
The demonstration also included a fishing display orchestrated by two trawler fishing vessels which showed His Royal Highness the process and type of fishing that is carried out within the waters.
As of 2008, only 15 commercial trawlers are operating in Zone two (three to 20 nautical miles) in Brunei waters.
The maritime areas within the waters surrounding the Pilong-Pilongan Island are among the many locations rich with diverse marine life and has a high potential for resources within the fisheries industry.
The site has the potential to offer an estimated $27 million within the span of five years through various recreational activities, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and wildlife preservation.
Coral reefs within the area are also among the exotic locations off the west coast. It has been identified as one of the sites for the development of offshore cages for fish breeding with an estimated area of over 200 hectares.
His Royal Highness also took the opportunity to view the highlights that were transmitted through an undersea remote operating vehicle (ROV) followed by a scuba diving demonstration that showed monitoring and assessment procedures carried out to inspect the coral reefs. (SRH1)
The Brunei Times
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sultanate can be promoted as hub for Islamic tourism
Sultanate can be promoted as hub for Islamic tourism
Niche market: David Smith (R), CEO of Global Futures and Foresight UK, delivers his talk on 'The rise of Islamic Tourism' during the International Halal Products Forum held at International Convention Centre in Berakas. Picture: BT/SaifulizamUbaidillah Masli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, August 18, 2008
ISLAMIC tourism can provide an avenue for Brunei to develop its tourism industry, in the long term goal of diversifying its economy. A presentation on "Islamic Tourism and Halal Hospitality" was delivered yesterday by David Smith, the chief executive of Global Futures and Foresight UK, during the second day of the International Halal Market Conference which took place at the main conference hall of the International Convention Centre in Berakas.
Smith suggested a few ideas and methods through which the Sultanate could promote itself as hub for Islamic tourism. He acknowledged that Brunei had to compete with neighbouring countries which offered similar eco-tourism products to visitors. However, Smith proposed that the nation could create a product which combined its rainforest and environmental attractions with Islamic tourism products.
"(Brunei) is much more likely to have a halal offering than some of your neighbouring countries," he said. "As long as you make it clear (to the tourists) what is the product (you are offering to them)."
He said that there were tourists who wished to experience the luxuries of staying in prestigious hotels and going on package tours, while keeping to Islamic beliefs and values during the duration of their visit to the country. This was the "niche" market which Brunei could focus on, he said.
He stressed the importance of having the infrastructure developed in order for Brunei to delve into Islamic tourism. Some of this infrastructure was already in place in the country, such as the ban of alcohol, providing prayer rooms and facilities, halal food and other halal-orientated hospitality.
"(These) people want to travel the way everybody else does... It is about knowing that the food is halal without having to ask," he added.
Smith explained that as a concept, Islamic tourism comprises three main components. These elements included the revival of Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values, the economic benefit for Islamic societies and the deepening of Islamic self-confidence, identity and beliefs.
According to Smith, Islamic tourism is one of the fastest growing sub-sectors in the tourism market. He said that the global tourism market was expected to "triple in size" from 565 million visitors recorded in 1995 to an estimated 1.6 billion visitors by the year 2020. It was also projected that one per cent of the world GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would come from this sub-sector alone.
The Middle East and East Asia have the largest estimated annual growth rate of tourist visitors by region. These two regions were among the fore-runners in Islamic tourism.
The Middle East would invest US$3.76 trillion in travel and tourism, he said. This investment included the introduction of more than 900 new hotels offering more than 750,000 rooms by 2020, US$1.8 trillion spent on underlying infrastructure and US$1 trillion on leisure developments. Some 170 million tourists were expected to visit the region by 2020.
The Brunei Times
Niche market: David Smith (R), CEO of Global Futures and Foresight UK, delivers his talk on 'The rise of Islamic Tourism' during the International Halal Products Forum held at International Convention Centre in Berakas. Picture: BT/SaifulizamUbaidillah Masli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, August 18, 2008
ISLAMIC tourism can provide an avenue for Brunei to develop its tourism industry, in the long term goal of diversifying its economy. A presentation on "Islamic Tourism and Halal Hospitality" was delivered yesterday by David Smith, the chief executive of Global Futures and Foresight UK, during the second day of the International Halal Market Conference which took place at the main conference hall of the International Convention Centre in Berakas.
Smith suggested a few ideas and methods through which the Sultanate could promote itself as hub for Islamic tourism. He acknowledged that Brunei had to compete with neighbouring countries which offered similar eco-tourism products to visitors. However, Smith proposed that the nation could create a product which combined its rainforest and environmental attractions with Islamic tourism products.
"(Brunei) is much more likely to have a halal offering than some of your neighbouring countries," he said. "As long as you make it clear (to the tourists) what is the product (you are offering to them)."
He said that there were tourists who wished to experience the luxuries of staying in prestigious hotels and going on package tours, while keeping to Islamic beliefs and values during the duration of their visit to the country. This was the "niche" market which Brunei could focus on, he said.
He stressed the importance of having the infrastructure developed in order for Brunei to delve into Islamic tourism. Some of this infrastructure was already in place in the country, such as the ban of alcohol, providing prayer rooms and facilities, halal food and other halal-orientated hospitality.
"(These) people want to travel the way everybody else does... It is about knowing that the food is halal without having to ask," he added.
Smith explained that as a concept, Islamic tourism comprises three main components. These elements included the revival of Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values, the economic benefit for Islamic societies and the deepening of Islamic self-confidence, identity and beliefs.
According to Smith, Islamic tourism is one of the fastest growing sub-sectors in the tourism market. He said that the global tourism market was expected to "triple in size" from 565 million visitors recorded in 1995 to an estimated 1.6 billion visitors by the year 2020. It was also projected that one per cent of the world GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would come from this sub-sector alone.
The Middle East and East Asia have the largest estimated annual growth rate of tourist visitors by region. These two regions were among the fore-runners in Islamic tourism.
The Middle East would invest US$3.76 trillion in travel and tourism, he said. This investment included the introduction of more than 900 new hotels offering more than 750,000 rooms by 2020, US$1.8 trillion spent on underlying infrastructure and US$1 trillion on leisure developments. Some 170 million tourists were expected to visit the region by 2020.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, June 7, 2008
'Family' feeds on eco-tourism
'Family' feeds on eco-tourism
Rainforest trek: Tourists and representatives from The Brunei Tourism Board take snapshots on the suspension bridge at the Ulu Temburong National Park. Eco-tourism is taking root in the country, with more and more tourists looking for newer tour packages. Picture: BT file photoSobrina Rosli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, June 7, 2008
PASSION for Brunei's green jewels is what has kept Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise up and running, struggling to sustain what it has begun without forgetting the value of protecting the nation's natural and valued blessings.
Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise, one of Brunei's very own inbound tour operators, has been offering eco-tourism services and packages for the last six years. It was granted a licence to operate in 2002 after convincing the Brunei Tourism Board of its capabilities to venture into a different breed of tourism.
"When I was given the licence to operate as an inbound tour operator I was so happy. We started with zero capital, (with) just knowledge to start with," says managing director Muhd Daud Abdullah, also known as 'Jungle Dave'.
The enterprise' priority from the start, he says, was to involve villages in its growth.
"Each village has its own skills and experiences that are valuable to our tourism plans. Even until today we are still discovering new things about Brunei," he says.
A case in point, he says, is the development in Kampung Supon of the Tutong district with Muslim Iban senior citizens at the Kebubuk Longhouse.
"Their skills are just amazing. I stayed with them to learn and experience their lifestyle" while engaging residents in an effort to identify tourist hotspots within the village, including a gigantic tree.
"They showed me the coompasia tree with a buttress root two storeys high, about 40 metres," he says.
"I asked what would happen if anyone wanted to cut down that tree. I found out that the villagers would do anything to protect that tree. They would die with the tree. I said wow! These are the people I want to work with," he adds.
Within the village he also identified a forest area with more than 30 species of Borneo orchids.
"It is near to impossible to find 30 species of orchids in one area, but Brunei has that untouched."
He credits the company's growth to his passion and the interest of his staff in nature preservation. He values and treats staff like family members.
"For my family members here when I hired them, honestly, they had no interest (in the venture) at all. Bruneians have wrong perceptions where they do not want to work in the private sector," he says.
"But it all depends on individual companies, on how they train and treat the staff."
He trains his staff through practical mechanisms from being in the forest to experience and learn to identify different plants and trees.
"They follow me into the jungle and (I) teach them about various herbs, plants and animals. The things they learn is something new to them, it is not like in television, it's real," he says.
At the moment the enterprise has 13 guides, with another 32 community guides hired at the villages.
"Most of the community guides are unemployed youths from the villages, (we provide) training for them," he says.
Muhd Daud says his enterprise still has a long way to go despite its established presence.
"We started with zero financial back up. We work hard where most of our money is being used for investments into facilities and salaries. Enough to cover expenses."
He looks back to that time when his enterprise wanted to close down.
"We lost hope at one point in 2005. All our family members sat down together and considered whether to pack up and find a job, but all the family members wanted it to continue."
His outlook for next year's performance is much more positive with several foreign tour operators scheduled to bring in tourist groups. The company has already had tourists coming in from Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
Other than depending on foreign tourists the company also promotes itself locally.
"For the government sector sometimes we groundhandle for VIPs coming into the country as well as to cater for private companies on trips.
"This is our sixth year of business. When we reach 10 years, we will call it fruiting for 10 years. We have another four years to achieve this,"
The Brunei Times
Rainforest trek: Tourists and representatives from The Brunei Tourism Board take snapshots on the suspension bridge at the Ulu Temburong National Park. Eco-tourism is taking root in the country, with more and more tourists looking for newer tour packages. Picture: BT file photoSobrina Rosli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, June 7, 2008
PASSION for Brunei's green jewels is what has kept Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise up and running, struggling to sustain what it has begun without forgetting the value of protecting the nation's natural and valued blessings.
Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise, one of Brunei's very own inbound tour operators, has been offering eco-tourism services and packages for the last six years. It was granted a licence to operate in 2002 after convincing the Brunei Tourism Board of its capabilities to venture into a different breed of tourism.
"When I was given the licence to operate as an inbound tour operator I was so happy. We started with zero capital, (with) just knowledge to start with," says managing director Muhd Daud Abdullah, also known as 'Jungle Dave'.
The enterprise' priority from the start, he says, was to involve villages in its growth.
"Each village has its own skills and experiences that are valuable to our tourism plans. Even until today we are still discovering new things about Brunei," he says.
A case in point, he says, is the development in Kampung Supon of the Tutong district with Muslim Iban senior citizens at the Kebubuk Longhouse.
"Their skills are just amazing. I stayed with them to learn and experience their lifestyle" while engaging residents in an effort to identify tourist hotspots within the village, including a gigantic tree.
"They showed me the coompasia tree with a buttress root two storeys high, about 40 metres," he says.
"I asked what would happen if anyone wanted to cut down that tree. I found out that the villagers would do anything to protect that tree. They would die with the tree. I said wow! These are the people I want to work with," he adds.
Within the village he also identified a forest area with more than 30 species of Borneo orchids.
"It is near to impossible to find 30 species of orchids in one area, but Brunei has that untouched."
He credits the company's growth to his passion and the interest of his staff in nature preservation. He values and treats staff like family members.
"For my family members here when I hired them, honestly, they had no interest (in the venture) at all. Bruneians have wrong perceptions where they do not want to work in the private sector," he says.
"But it all depends on individual companies, on how they train and treat the staff."
He trains his staff through practical mechanisms from being in the forest to experience and learn to identify different plants and trees.
"They follow me into the jungle and (I) teach them about various herbs, plants and animals. The things they learn is something new to them, it is not like in television, it's real," he says.
At the moment the enterprise has 13 guides, with another 32 community guides hired at the villages.
"Most of the community guides are unemployed youths from the villages, (we provide) training for them," he says.
Muhd Daud says his enterprise still has a long way to go despite its established presence.
"We started with zero financial back up. We work hard where most of our money is being used for investments into facilities and salaries. Enough to cover expenses."
He looks back to that time when his enterprise wanted to close down.
"We lost hope at one point in 2005. All our family members sat down together and considered whether to pack up and find a job, but all the family members wanted it to continue."
His outlook for next year's performance is much more positive with several foreign tour operators scheduled to bring in tourist groups. The company has already had tourists coming in from Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
Other than depending on foreign tourists the company also promotes itself locally.
"For the government sector sometimes we groundhandle for VIPs coming into the country as well as to cater for private companies on trips.
"This is our sixth year of business. When we reach 10 years, we will call it fruiting for 10 years. We have another four years to achieve this,"
The Brunei Times
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