Date: 7 February 2013
Voluntourism a hit with longhaul travellers to Malaysia.
TRADITIONAL longhaul markets to Malaysia have developed an
appetite for volunteer tourism, with travel consultants reporting growing
interest in the niche segment.
Diethelm Travel Malaysia’s managing director, Manfred Kurz,
said: “Traditionally, CSR programmes appeal only to meeting and incentive
groups from European markets. But we have seen growing interest from the FIT
segment over the last couple of years.” To harness rising demand, Diethelm
Travel will work with established tour operators in Germany to promote more
volunteer tourism programmes in Sabah and Sarawak for the FIT market this year.
Sarawak-based Masama JS Adventure Tours’ business
development manager, Marco Wunsch, said: “In 2012, we saw 30 per cent
year-on-year growth (in the number of participants) for our turtle conservation
programme at Talang-Talang Island, with the most requests coming from FITs from
the Netherlands.” Masama works with the
Sarawak Forestry Corporation for this programme. Wunsch said: “This year, we
would like to develop more conservation tours in Sarawak, especially those with
the rare Irrawaddy dolphins in the Santubong area.”
Alex Lee, CEO of Terengganu-based Ping Anchorage Travel
& Tours, explained the difference between the regular leisure tourist and a
volunteer tourist. “The FIT tourist involved in volunteer tourism spends at
least 50 per cent more than the average tourist, as they even pay the locals a
fee to be involved (in activities).
“This year, we plan to develop more volunteer programmes in
Terengganu, involving local culture, heritage and nature. Tourists will be able
to decide on the programmes they wish to be involved in, based on their budget
and length of stay.”
By S Puvaneswary, Kuala Lumpur
Copyright @ TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd 2013
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