It makes sense to rely first on domestic tourists

DOMESTIC tourists are needed to make a country's tourism products sustainable, especially considering the unpredictable nature of tourist traffic of foreign source markets, which are influenced by global trends and the financial situation, said a renowned ecotourism figure.

Speaking during the Asean Tourism Conference yesteday, Hitesh Mehta, who has been involved in ecotourism initiatives in Central Africa and is the longest-serving member of the International Eco-tourism Society, stressed the need to get the local community interested in their own ecotourism attractions to secure a permanent market before focusing on the markets abroad.

"The local community is crucial. There is a need for them to be brought in from day one," he said in his talk on "Sustainable Tourism in Transboundary Conservation Areas", where he dressed up as a gorilla during a part of his lecture as a means to stress his point.

The flow of foreign tourists could easily be disrupted, he said, citing the recent financial crisis as an example where tourism slowed down for many countries.

Mehta, who is actually landscape architect by trade, explained that even with the foreign tourism markets affected, a country's tourism industry could still depend on its domestic tourists for patronage.

Speaking more specifically on ecotourism, he said that it was equally important to have tourism products which have strong sustainability features.

A primary editor of the International Eco-lodge Guidelines, Mehta referred to several eco-resorts he has visited, where these facilities attempt to reduce their impact on the environment by as much as possible.

"You have to make conservation a business, otherwise it is not sustainable," said Anthony Wong, group managing director of Asian Overland Services Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd of Malaysia.

The pair formed part of the panel discussing the theme "Going Green: New Driver for a Bright Future" during the conference.

Both agreed that it was necessary to get the local community involved in promoting and marketing ecotourism products as well as becoming its patrons.

Brunei's Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Tony Charters of Australia's Tony Charters Associates made up the other half of the panel.

The deputy minister once again emphasised how everyone should be involved in environmental conservation, especially with respect to Brunei's participation in the tri-nation Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative.

"Everyone has a role to play in trying to preserve this prized heritage," he said.

He also commented on the transboundary conservation issue.

"We've been quite mechanical in our approach. We need to be more active, creative and innovative in our approach to partnerships," he added. "We in government should not leave the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to run the show. It's not just about WWF, it's about government, it's about the role of the individuals."

He noted that transboundary collaboration was included in the framework agreement under the HoB initiative.

"It's full of challenges. It's not a walk in the park," he said.

When a member of the audience at the conference raised the issue of ecotourism being detrimental to natural and cultural resources, the panel defended that aside from the sustainable nature of the tourism activities, it could also play a role in helping developing countries.

"Tourism has the best educational content out of all the industries," remarked Wong, adding that this industry raised the most awareness among its patrons.

"They (tourists) can learn from real experience," he said.

Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah added to this by saying that sustainable tourism, as a "vehicle or enabler", brings in wealth for the country, as well as benefit all levels of the community.

Held in conjunction with the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010, the conference took place at the Bridex Centre in Jerudong, in the presence of ATF delegates, local and foreign media, and students.

The Brunei Times