UNDP urged to engage more global partners for tourism and expo conference next year

Joniston engaging with Norhafiza during the closing of Community Bases Tourism Conference and Expo.

30 June 2025

KOTA KINABALU: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is being urged to engage more global partners for next year’s Community-Based Tourism Conference and Expo in Sabah.

Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, said that the involvement of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) would further enhance efforts to promote rural and community-based tourism in the state.

“With the participation of UNWTO and UNESCO, we stand to gain valuable international insights, forge stronger networks, and elevate global recognition of our communities,” he said.

Joniston, who also serves as Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board, made the suggestion during the closing ceremony of the Community-Based Tourism Conference and Expo held at Suria Sabah Mall on Sunday.

His proposal is in line with the Sabah Tourism Board’s earlier call during the UNWTO Affiliate Members Plenary Session in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2023, which underscored the importance of advancing rural and community tourism.

He noted that UNESCO’s involvement would bring added value, particularly as Sabah has earned the prestigious Triple Crown UNESCO recognition.

Organised by the Sabah Tourism Board, this year’s event featured an international conference for the first time, co-organised with UNDP and attended by speakers from Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

“The inclusion of international participants has significantly raised the bar, offering a vital platform for knowledge sharing, learning, and collaboration – all of which directly benefit our rural communities,” he added.

Joniston emphasised that the success of community-based tourism in Sabah is rooted in the active participation of rural communities themselves.

He also expressed hope that Sabah will soon be in a position to support and showcase its community-based tourism operators and entrepreneurs at international expos, broadening their exposure and market reach.

“We are still on a learning journey, but the key is to continue supporting one another and to scale up what we have begun – because the future of tourism lies in empowering the very communities it touches,” Joniston said.

Also present at the closing ceremony were Sabah Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit; Norhafiza Shafie, Programme Analyst for Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Management at UNDP (Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam); and Rohizam Md Yusoff, Champion of the Tourism Productivity Nexus at the Malaysia Productivity Corporation under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry.