Community Based Tourism in Borneo
As I mentioned in my previous piece, Community Based Tourism: What’s in a Name?, I first became aware of the concept in the early 1990s when I was introduced to the Ulu Ai Longhouse experience in Sarawak, East Malaysia. It was one of the first tours, in the depths of the Borneo Rainforest, which we promoted.
There were other longhouse tours around, the best known being on the Skrang River, but, to my knowledge, none were as sensitive to the cultural and natural environment as this one.
The initiative was the brain-child of the two owners of the Kuching-based operator Borneo Adventure, Philip Yong and Robert Basiuk. It has been described by Robert, as “one example of a new generation of tourism products promoting the intricate relationship between the rainforest and its dwellers.”
The project started back in 1986 and by 1999 twenty six families “received over RM 300,000 ($82,000) in tourism-related pay. In addition to the wages earned as guides, boat drivers and cooks, as well as rental for the guesthouse, the village people also earn money selling traditional handicrafts such as woven blankets ($10,000 in 1999). This income has also allowed the village to break out of the subsistence agriculture cycle and diversify their economy to include more efficient cash crops. The reduced demand for expansion onto new land means that less forest is cut, ultimately providing more habitat for wildlife.”
Philip Yong, the company’s managing director, told me recently that the project continues to perform well although they have put a cap on the annual number of visitors. I almost typed the word ‘naturally’ in that sentence but of course not all companies would be as sensitive: some would milk the project for as much as they possibly could. I hate being cynical but that is the reality.
In an interview published on Wild Asia (a Malaysia-based conservation group which promotes responsible tourism) Philip states that “If I want to make money I could sell this product to another company and cash out….. But this is good for the soul…”
In this same interview Philip explains frankly that community based tourism (CBT) is not without its challenges and he is keen to point out that, although an award-winning initiative, it should not be viewed as a model.
I wonder if there is or could be a model for community based tourism. “There’s no one solution-fit-all, but a set of criteria. You need to have a cohesive community with a strong leadership, and you need people who are committed and who get things done,” says Yong. Now that of course is true of any community project and, although my experience with ‘communities’ is limited, my guess is it is difficult to find these key attributes in one place. Thus I doubt that a model could ever exist.
I do believe that, while not a panacea, CBT does have scope for alleviating poverty in remote communities. If you have any experience of such projects or know of a ‘model’ I am keen to hear from you, please contact me.
All images courtesy of Borneo Adventure.
