CULTURAL exchange programmes are growing in popularity as a key source to boost tourism in the country.
Just recently, the Brunei Enterprise (BE) did just that by facilitating a half-day cultural exchange programme themed ‘Finding Happiness’ with recent graduates from the Chinese University of Hong Kong at the Youth Centre in the capital.
Activities included story-sharing, cooking and photo-taking sessions.
Rania Oi, a recent Psychology graduate, spoke about how Brunei is unique as a country due to its high happiness level index, remarking, “Brunei is a country we from Hong Kong can learn from, as it is one of the top scorers in the global happiness index.”
Ivan Hon also commented on how beautiful the city was at night, “There are a lot of night activities in the city. We visited the food hawkers and they even gave us free food!”
Cherry Chang added how similar the Water Village (Kampong Ayer) is to Tai Oi, Hong Kong’s version of Venice of the East, “The architecture and vibe are almost the same… In Brunei, however, we found it interesting to see police and fire stations as well as schools (at the village). In Tai Oi, we don’t have that.”
When asked on how Bandar Seri Begawan could be improved, the students responded that the city could “potentially introduce night buses” as “it was hard for us to get around the city after 6pm”.
A half-day cultural exchange programme themed ‘Finding Happiness’ held at the Youth Centre
Eva, a Lithuanian tourist based in London who attended the programme, pointed out how friendly and helpful the Bruneian people were, “People stopped me in the streets to offer me help and directions; some even gave me free food, so I love the people and the country.”
In an interview, the Head of BE, Abdul Malik Omar, relayed how strengthening the relations of local youths with their Hong Kong counterparts can give them access to ideas for developments.
“Hong Kong is a great example of how a small state is able to punch above its weight in the global economy,” he said. “The education system, city planning and economic policies of Hong Kong is something Brunei can learn a lot from, in its quest to realise Vision 2035.
“BE will continue to extend support to any tourists, students or entrepreneurs coming to Brunei, especially if they have plans to engage with the locals or business community.
“In addition, we will continue our sustained efforts to build up and strengthen bridges with communities who wish to learn and explore more about the country.”
The Hong Kong students were on a six-day visit to Brunei to learn and study the country’s cultural background as part of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups backpacker competition.
BE is a non-profit independent youth group that aims to elevate entrepreneurship in Brunei.
Since its inception in London two years ago, the group has introduced TEDxGadong and Global Entrepreneurship Week in the country.
The post Brunei, Hong Kong students in cultural exchange appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.