| James Kon |
THE Tourism Development Department under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism will continuously revise and update local tour packages in a bid to appeal to domestic visitors, as well as foreign tourists.
The continuing efforts to improve local tourism was lauded by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, last Friday, on the sidelines of the Asean Tourism Awards and the closing ceremony for the Asean Tourism Forum in Singapore.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali was in Singapore to attend the 20th Asean Tourism Ministers’ Meeting and the 16th Asean Plus Three Tourism Ministers Meeting from January 18-20, in conjunction with the Asean Tourism Forum 2017 (ATF).
At the awards ceremony, where the Kampong Kiudang Village Consultative Council received the Asean Community Based Tourism Award, the minister said, “We are not only developing our tourism products, but also making sure that they will give visitors an unforgettable experience.”
He added, “Other countries are also offering the same type of products, so we must keep on upgrading the packages which highlight the country’s unique qualities, in order to attract visitors.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, at the press conference of Asean Tourism Forum in Singapore. – JAMES KON
“We launched the Temburong tour packages last year, and will reactivate them with more upgrades. We also launched the Bandar Seri Begawan and Water Village packages, which will be refreshed after six months or a year. It’s like being in a restaurant business where you have to constantly revise the menu to appeal to customers and patrons.
“If we don’t improve, people will get tired of the tourism products,” he said, adding, “We will not stop and will continue to come up with different packages and different tourism products.”
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali also highlighted the advantages of the short distances in Brunei for foreign visitors, “There is hardly any traffic congestion in the country, and we have the advantage of being able to travel in under 15 minutes from the airport to Bandar Seri Begawan, 25 minutes from Muara Port to Bandar Seri Begawan, and 45 minutes from Bandar to Temburong. What’s more, we don’t have much pollution over here.”
The minister also shared some of the main highlights in this year’s tourism calendar, “The Brunei National Day which falls on February 23, the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s birthday celebrations, and most importantly this year is the 50th anniversary of the accession of His Majesty, in which numerous activities are set to take place.”
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali also disclosed that Brunei is part of the ‘Visit Asean@50’ campaign, which was launched last week by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the opening gala of the Asean Tourism Forum.
The minister also pointed out the importance of showcasing local attractions to visitors who make a brief stop in Brunei while en route to Singapore.
After discovering Brunei’s unexpected treasures, he said, “The visitors may want to return for a longer stay and to explore Brunei in detail.”
The post Minister promises to continue enhancing tour packages to boost Brunei tourism appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.