| James Kon |
RICH in splendid tourism sites, Tutong District is poised to attract more foreign and local visitors by leveraging on its signature products.
Aimed at boosting tourist influx into the picturesque district, the Tourism Development Department at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) in collaboration with the Tutong District Tourism Promotion and Coordination Body will launch its ‘Tutong Destination Packages’ on August 23.
As part of promoting the packages, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong yesterday visited two locations in the district with high potential to be developed as attractive tourism products and hailing the district as another tourism hotspot in the Sultanate.
The minister first visited Telaga Tujuh Mandian Puteri (Seven Wells) at Kampong Tanjong Maya where entrepreneur Sha’ari bin Haji Zunaidi promotes a farm guesthouse where visitors can indulge in extracting honey from stingless bees, rearing goats and many more. Visitors can trek to the legendary wells or, if they choose to, reach there by a 4×4 ride.
Following the one hour tour at the Wells, the minister then visited Seri Melati Enterprise, a well-known fiberglass boat-building firm at Kampong Kuala Tutong. The company has recently started operating river cruise along the Tutong River which is fast becoming a major attraction for local and foreign visitors.
The company owner, Haji Abdul Rashid bin Haji Mahmood, is currently planning to expand his business into the tourism sector.
In an interview, the minister said, “Tutong District is very active in offering tourism products as I witnessed during my visit. At Telaga Tujuh Mandian Puteri (Seven Wells), there are several activities visitors can enjoy such as the natural environment, animals as well as the dinner. Kampong Tanjong Maya and Kampong Kiudang also offer various tourism products.”
He revealed that Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park is being renovated to cater to the needs of tourists, adding that breeding areas of stingless bees in the district can be yet another attraction for visitors.
On Seri Melati Enterprise, the minister said, “It is currently active in the district and is offering river cruise along the Tutong River where tourists can enjoy the sunset. This is a major attraction for visitors from China and Korea. The offering has just started, but it has already become popular among tourists from Korea.
“In addition to the river cruise, Seri Melati Enterprise offers unique dinner experience at its garden besides the river. Visitors can also use bus to go to the beach to enjoy dining at the garden. This is an attractive product for tourists,” he added.
The minister also iterated that it is vital to cooperate with airlines as well as travel agents and hotels to promote Brunei Darussalam as a tourist destination.
“Recently, we received chartered flights from Seoul in South Korea through Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and we are also lucky to have flights from Kunming and Nanning in China.”
The minister also hoped that more chartered flights from other countries can increase tourist arrivals to Brunei.
Meanwhile, Leslie Chiang, Managing Director of Borneo Guide who also joined the tour, commented, “Tutong definitely has the potential to be an attractive destination for tourists to Brunei. Tasek Merimbun has been chosen as an Asean Heritage Park which is equivalent to National Park status in other countries. Not only that, its natural beauty is among the best in Asean. The district also has many village consultative councils actively offering unique tourism products.”
Also present at the working visit were Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the MPRT; Haji Mohamad Zamree bin Haji Junaidi, Tourism Development Director; Zulzalani bin Osman, Tourism Development Department Special Duties Officer and other officials.
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