CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM
Cultural tourism is an integral part of tourism in Sarawak. Tourists can experience first-hand our heritage attractions in their originality. Here, in this first of a three-part series, TANIA LAM looks into the state’s commitment towards cultural heritage tourism.
KUCHING: When one pictures Sarawak, it is hardly behemoth skyscrapers or bustling shopping havens that come to mind.
Instead, it is the undeniable pull of the state’s unique culture and heritage, rich history, and diverse natural attractions that draws in the tourist crowds.
Tourism in Sarawak has evolved and expanded over the years.
This year, the state has a target of achieving 5 million visitor arrivals, achieving 3,366,922 as of September according to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
With this in mind, Sarawak has been implementing a range of campaigns including Visit Sarawak 2019 while also playing host to numerous local and international tourism events including the globally renowned Spartan Race and the Rainforest World Music Festival.
A substantial sector of tourism in Sarawak is based on cultural heritage.
In this regard, the state has been relatively well-preserved. Visitors are able to experience heritage attractions in their true light with minimal corruption by modernisation.
James Yong, vice president of Sarawak Heritage Society, emphasised that heritage was vital as it reflected identity.
“It derives from our culture, history, values, and traditions — in essence, it is about who we are as a people,” he explained.
What is heritage tourism?
Heritage tourism, as defined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States of America, refers to travelling in order to experience places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. These include cultural, historic, and natural resources.
Heritage tourism can be further divided into various types, one of which is archaeological tourism, also known as archaeo-tourism.
Associate Professor Dr Darren Curnoe of University of New South Wales, who is conducting excavations at the Niah Caves in Niah National Park, described archaeo-tourism as going beyond the normal experience of learning about history from museums or exhibitions.
“Visitors get to go to the actual locations where these events transpired and they can get a very real sense of the place, how people lived, and the environment during that time.
“It really deepens one’s understanding of history and heritage,” he explained when interviewed by New Sarawak Tribune.
Sarawak has significant potential in further developing this segment.
In fact, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has expressed that the state government is keen to make Sarawak’s historical places, which are often located in remote areas, better known to the outside world.
“Hence, we are upgrading and providing the necessary physical and digital infrastructures at our tourist destinations in order to accommodate the needs of our visitors,” he said.
Several historical sites in Malaysia, currently four to be exact, have even been listed as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) world heritage sites.
Of these, one is located in Sarawak — Gunung Mulu National Park in Miri. Meanwhile, the state government plans to resubmit its bid to get Niah Caves listed as well.
Yong pointed out that Sarawak was able to showcase a variety of tangible heritage — buildings, monuments, sites, cultural landscapes, and objects — and also intangible heritage — traditional arts and crafts, food, and the customs and traditions of its multicultural people.
Some of Sarawak’s heritage locations include the Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street in Kuching, Long Bedian in Miri, and the Sarawak Museum in Kuching, among many others.
Sustainable heritage tourism – a myth?
The key dilemma here is whether heritage tourism can be sustainable.
Is it even possible to preserve heritage and history while allowing tourists such experiences? Would promoting heritage tourism be a detriment to heritage itself?
Yong described the application of sustainable practices in heritage tourism as crucial in order to continue attracting visitors in the long term.
“However, it is equally important that we do it in a way that does not unnecessarily deplete natural resources or damage the environment,” he stressed.
On the other hand, swimming against the tide of popular opinion is Thailand-based senior specialist in archaeology Dr Noel Hidalgo Tan who believes that sustainable heritage tourism is a myth.
“What sustainability really means is to use a site within its limits,” he said.
He clarified, “It does not mean that if we turn a site into a sustainable tourism site, it becomes a tourism site forever.”
He argued that heritage tourism was often confused with heritage preservation, but in fact they were direct opposites.
“We cannot really say that we want to promote both simultaneously — if you are promoting tourism at a site, you are damaging the heritage there,” he sounded, adding that the best way to protect a site was not to open it to tourism at all.
Tan did, however, emphasise that being anti-tourism was not the way to go as the sector accounted for a significant portion of gross domestic product (GDP).
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the tourism industry accounted for 10.4 percent of GDP globally, supporting 319 million jobs or ten percent of global employment last year.
Associate Professor Dr Zuliskandar Ramli from the Institute of the Malay World Civilisation (ATMA) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said travel and tourism contributed 13.3 per cent of Malaysia’s GDP last year and accounted for 11.9 per cent of total employment.
Therefore, Tan stated that tourism — or more specifically tourism to heritage sites — could not be eliminated entirely.
Yong, on the other hand, was of the opinion that sustainable heritage tourism could be achieved with the right government policies, well thought-out legislations, effective enforcement, and relevant incentives and penalties.
“It also requires a balanced partnership between the government, the private sector and civil society to ensure its success.
“A pre-condition of sustainability in heritage tourism is that it requires the existence and ongoing proper conservation or a good stock of heritage assets both tangible and intangible,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Angelina Jong, president of the Heritage Society of Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital, shared her view that when a historical site or object was preserved, it should be displayed and shared with the public.
“Legally, heritage belongs to the state. But in context, it actually belongs to the society and the world at large,” she said.
She believed that if proper measures were applied in heritage tourism, sustainability should not be a problem.
Jong expressed her hope for a body or organisation to be established with the purpose of looking into heritage and sites under threats in order to preserve them.
Through these varying views, it can be concluded that achieving sustainable tourism is a balancing act which involves a wide range of factors to seriously consider.
The looming dangers threatening heritage tourism undoubtedly present significant challenges.
According to Yong, these included uncontrolled visitors, vandalism, poor training of heritage guides, poor enforcement of heritage legislations, and not investing enough of tourism proceeds into the maintenance of heritage assets.
“Finally, one over-arching risk we should bear in mind — losing sight of the inherent value of our heritage.
“We must protect our heritage for our people and for posterity, not solely for tourism income. In this sense, over-commercialisation of heritage assets is a clear threat,” he cautioned.
These threats to heritage tourism will be further discussed in the next two parts of this series.
