Brunei eyes ecotourism industry

As Noraini Hj Tersad, acting director of Tourism Development Department, says "having the freshest and purest air and one of the least polluted environments" attracts visitors to the sultanate.

"Brunei is unique as a destination for discerning, experienced travellers in the quest of untouched and seldom visited places to discover," she said.

The development of nature tourism is even included in the country’s Tourism Master Plan as the sultanate heads towards a more diversified economy.

In 2012, the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Paduka Hj Bakar said nature tourism was one of the two clusters identified in the master plan as the country looks to strengthen its tourism industry.

"Nature is unique to Brunei Darussalam compared to regional countries in terms of an unpolluted natural environment that is easy to reach as well as to visit," said the minister at the Eighth Legislative Council session.

Brunei’s pristine rainforest has encouraged the producers of South Korean reality-documentary show "Law of the Jungle" to film one of its episodes there.

This, Noraini said, shows Brunei has the potential to develop and promote nature tourism. She said apart from the rainforests, travellers could also go on scuba diving, bird watching and exploring the country’s flora and fauna.

Leslie Chiang, founder of Hasa Incentives, which operates the Sumbiling Eco Village, said Brunei is unique in many ways for visitors.

"Our nature reserves, especially the Temburong River and its rainforests, are still undisturbed and you can feel its wilderness and clean air … wildlife can still easily be seen in its natural habitat," he said.

The Sumbiling Eco Village provided accommodation to "Law of the Jungle" film crew during their stay in Temburong district – the second largest forested area in Brunei.

However, despite Brunei’s advantage as an ecotourism destination, the country’s tourism industry may have a hard time competing with its neighbours. Popular nature tourism destinations such as Sabah and Sarawak, which have Mulu Cave, Niah Cave and Mount Kinabalu, will continue to attract Borneo-bound travellers.

A local hotelier said that Brunei, which is sandwiched by the two Malaysian states, should work towards establishing itself as a stand-alone holiday destination for ecotourists.

"Sarawak has the biggest cave in the world, the Mulu Cave. Sabah has the highest peak in Southeast Asia [Mount Kinabalu]. So they have different edges of their own," he said.

In order to compete, he said, the Brunei government needs to implement the right policies and build the required infrastructure.

He said the Tourism Master Plan is the key to establishing Brunei as a standalone holiday destination. But much of its success will depend on the government’s dedication and efforts to develop the industry.