In The Daily Express 14 th April 2005
By Bernama
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat urged tour and lodge operators in the State to be sensitive to the environment, and ecosystem.
“Players in tourism can help nurture the sustainable growth of the industry by adhering to good and ethical practices by avoiding selfish short?term economic gains,” he said in his speech at the launching of a book “Saving Paradise: The Story of Sukau Rainforest Lodge”, here, Wednesday.
Chong, who is also the State Minister of Tourism Environment and Culture, said the tourism industry must cultivate best practices, develop benchmarks and promote high standards of development and services.
His speech was read by the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture Datuk Karim Bujang.
“A critical stage in the development of’ the industry today lies in the need to find ways to self regulate its members and help them toe the line,” he said.
He called on the investors and operators to invest in eco?tourism products of quality and value that would not only protect and conserve the environment, but also generate employment and spin?off opportunities and economic benefits, especially to rural communities.
In the past decade, more than six lodges, including the Sukau Rainforest Lodge, were developed along Sungai Kinabatangan to meet the demands for such wildlife and eco?tourism products.
The 560km long Sungai Kinabatangan is Sabah ‘s longest river, which flows through a basin that covers some 23 per cent of the State land mass.
Its floodplain is a mosaic of forest types which provide a range of habitats for the largest orang-utan populations in Malaysia as well as 10 primate species, including the unusual “monyet belanda” (proboscis monkey).
The Kinabatangan is also the traditional home of the Orang Sungai, an indigenous people of Sabah .
He said the efforts and achievements of Sukau Rainforest Lodge had helped the Kinabatangan region earn an international reputation as a premier eco?tourism icon.
He said this publication would enhance the Kinabatangan region as a world class eco?tourism product.
The 120-page book records the 10 year history of the lodge, its achievements and the many challenges it faces as well as the recipes and ingredients to guide ecotourism operators to invest in such business.