@ green | March-April , 2021

Ecotourism is one of the sustainable forms of tourism that enables tourists to experience and understand the region ’ s nature

By Amanda Yeo

Turtle in the seas off Sabah .

However , due to the continuous closure of international borders , it is wiser for Malaysia ’ s tourism industry players to re-strategise their marketing strategies by focusing on ecotourism development .

According to the International Ecotourism Society , ecotourism is defined as “ responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people ”.

As Malaysia has vast biodiversity , it provides a spark of hope for the tourism sector to move forward , attracting visitors to experience natural wonders in the country .

In short , ecotourism is one of the sustainable forms of tourism that enables tourists to experience and understand the region ’ s nature and rich biodiversity . At the same time , it also generates socio-economic benefits for the remote and rural communities who are living close to natural surroundings .

The Covid-19 pandemic might have substantially restricted people ’ s movement to travel across borders freely , but it has given countries some breathing space to become cleaner and greener .

Assisting the tourism industry

This can be seen in Melaka , one of the famous tourist hotspots in Malaysia . Although the ongoing international travel ban had led to a drastic reduction in tourist boat traffic , it rejuvenates Sungai Melaka as a clean river after a two-month imposition of the Movement Control Order ( MCO ) in May 2020 .

Therefore , the recent re-introduction of inter-district travel in most Malaysian states provides the government with the opportunity to strengthen ecotourism sites promotion and management . In turn , it would protect the economic livelihoods of the ecotourism operators while still stressing the importance of all Malaysians in observing SOPs .

For States such as Selangor , Kuala Lumpur , Penang , Johor , Kedah , Kelantan , Negeri Sembilan , Sarawak and Perak that fall under Conditional MCO ( CMCO ), tourism activities would be limited to 50 per cent of the capacity of the premises .

Among the sightseeing activities allowed include public and tourist attractions such as zoos , farms , aquariums , edutainment centres , recreational parks , extrema and nature park outlets .

On the other hand , States such as Malacca , Pahang , Terengganu , Sabah , Putrajaya and Labuan that fall under Recovery MCO ( RMCO ) could operate at total capacity ensuring physical distancing and temperature checks of visitors at all times .

The government ’ s emphasis on both lives and livelihoods would assist tourism industry players riding out of the economic storm besides minimising the human impact on the environment .

With the government ’ s commitment to providing job opportunities for the local and Orang Asli communities to be tour guides at all national parks under the Budget 2021 , it would empower local and Orang Asli communities to educate visitors on the importance of the conservation of biodiversity and culture .

By reducing national park entry fees for nationals , the local citizens can enjoy nature , get fit , relax and release stress through jogging and hiking activities .

Among the national parks that can be explored by Malaysian citizens such as Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak , Taman Negara National Park in Pahang , Taman Negara Gunung Kinabalu in Sabah and Endau Rompin National Park in Johor .

Also , the government has to develop a network of tourism corridors ( i . e ., major overland roads , waterways , sea or air routes ) that traverse the urban and rural areas of Malaysia .

Improving travel accessibility would provide convenience for travellers to visit all ecotourism sites , experiencing the essence of Malaysia ’ s ecotourism products and services .

Stopping fish bombing

According to the recent study done by World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia , there is an average of 65 fish bombing cases in Semporna , Sabah in 2018 .

Fish bombing is illegal , unreported and unregulated ( IUU ) fishing where people catch fish using homemade explosives made from fertilisers mixed with kerosene and ignited with a detonator and fuse .

Not only it destroys fish habitats and provides danger implications to visitors , but it also costs lives – three divers were killed while diving near Pulau Kulapuan , Semporna , in July 2019 .

To deal with the increasing number of fish bombing cases , the government needs to apply stricter monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in the surrounding islands . It will enhance safety measures among the visitors while protecting the ocean habitat .

Hence , for Malaysia to recover its tourism sector from the fallout brought about by the pandemic , the National Ecotourism Plan 2016-2025 has suggested the following proposals for the Ministry of Tourism , Arts and Culture Malaysia ( MoTAC ) put them into action :

• Attracting ecotourism investors by promoting and emphasising the uniqueness , strengths and development opportunities of Malaysia ’ s ecotourism sites ;

• Introducing a protocol for ecotourism concessions that enhances the quality of the tourist experience in national parks besides ensuring sustainable financing ;

• Consolidating research through the reestablishment of educational research centres in selected national parks and urban ecotourism sites through partnerships with local universities and NGOs ;

• Repositioning marine protected areas in Malaysia as ecotourism destinations that champion the conservation and management of marine and terrestrial resources for the enjoyment of tourists responsibly while enhancing the well-being of the local community ;

• Encouraging variants of the homestay concept by guiding providers to offer a mix of ‘ live in ’ homestays , annexe type homestay , kampung stay , farm stay etc . according to the needs of specific market segments ;

• Marketing and promoting activity driven , eco-adventure activities to the gen Y , youth associations , school and university groups and urban families ; and

• Identifying measures of ecotourism activity , including data on visitors and visitor management issues in protected areas . To build greater environmental and cultural awareness among the visitors , the government also has to develop comprehensive insights on Malaysia ecotourism under the existing Malaysia Tourism website while establishing a national inventory of ecotourism sites within Malaysia .

By leveraging Malaysia ’ s vast rainforest and mangrove reserve , The National Tourism Policy 2020-2030 that was launched at the end of December 2020 could be the base to make Malaysia the Top of Mind Ecotourism Destination of the World . — @ green

Amanda Yeo is Research Analyst at EMIR Research , an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research .