| Achong Tanjong |
A GROUP of tourists got a taste of the Brunei culture and traditional food when they visited the ‘Pink House’ owned by Haji Mohd Zahari bin Adis at Kampong Tamoi Ujong yesterday.
Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali welcomed them to the residence at Kampong Ayer.
The tourists, who arrived in Brunei on a cruise ship, had the opportunity to enjoy the specially made traditional food and also had an up close and personal look at the lifestyle of village dwellers.
Brunei’s water village is world famous and a must-visit spot for tourists.
The visitors agreed that the water village offers spectacular sceneries and lamented that their stay there was too brief.
“We are immensely impressed with your local culture and your friendliness, and I look forward to coming back,” said Helmuth from Germany.
The tourists were guests onboard Seven Seas Navigator, which brought in 530 passengers and 324 crew members.
The vessel docked at Muara Port yesterday and left the Sultanate the same day for Singapore.
Other groups from the ship visited other places of interest including the Royal Regalia Museum and the Malay Technology Museum in Kota Batu.
Based on statistics, the country received 25,000 to 30,000 tourists via cruise ships annually in recent years.
Wardi told the Bulletin, “What we see today is an example of Brunei’s attractions and charm offered through ‘cruise ship tourism’. The country receives several cruise ships in a year.”
“At the same time, we can also promote our breathtaking natural landscape in line with the current trend – nature-based tourism; this is what tourists are interested in,” he said.
He added that based on statistics from 2016 to 2017, tourist arrivals to Brunei had increased more than 10 per cent, exceeding the previous years’ achievements.
“We hope to attract more tourists through engaging activities and alluring products. For this, we need maximum public support.
“Therefore, we need more creative pro-government approaches to support all our tourism services such as exotic homestays, innovative traditional food and delightful tourism-related activities,” he said.
Wardi said the ministry’s short-term plan is to continue increasing value in tourism services and to ensure that all tourism products are always relevant and captivating.
In the long term, the ministry plans to upgrade new places of interests.
Meanwhile, former Community Development Department (JAPEM) officer Haji Mohd Zahari, said his ‘Pink House’ has been open to visitors since 2008.
He has more than 1,000 visitors a year not only through cruise ships, but also from overseas schools.