KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Durian Tourism Bazaar 2024 aims to inspire more agro-entrepreneurs to open their farms to the public, providing a valuable means of diversifying income sources.
Launched today by Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, at the Durian Valley in Keningau, the bazaar showcased a wide variety of durians cultivated by local farmers.
Khairul emphasized that the event serves as a platform for sharing information about agro-tourism while allowing attendees to purchase fruits in a festive atmosphere.
He praised agro-entrepreneurs and industry members, particularly those from the Sabah Durian and Tropical Fruit Producers Association (MaSDa), for their enthusiastic participation.
“The goal of this event is to motivate more agro-entrepreneurs to open their farms to the public as a way to diversify their income sources. It also aims to provide a platform for sharing insights about agro-tourism,” he stated.
“Today’s Sabah Durian Tourism Bazaar follows the launch of the Durian Tourism package, which took place on June 27 at Broga Orchard Hill in Negeri Sembilan.”
“The sales value of the Durian Tourism package for 2022 recorded RM107,000, and this figure has surged to RM1.6 million in 2023,” he said.
Given the impressive sales performance and response, the Durian Tourism package for 2024 has been expanded to include Sabah, covering 12 states in Malaysia, compared to only 7 states in 2023 and 3 states in 2022, according to him.
Durian Tourism is a segment that has successfully attracted the interest of both domestic and international tourists, especially from China and ASEAN countries.
” I believe that this durian agro-tourism initiative will not only satisfy local durian enthusiasts but also attract international tourists, particularly from China, Brunei, and Hong Kong, to Malaysia to experience this unique opportunity.”
“This year’s Durian Tourism is one of Tourism Malaysia’s initiatives to diversify the range of tourism packages in our country. With strong collaboration between local tourism operators, agro-tourism entrepreneurs, and relevant parties, Tourism Malaysia can introduce more potential tourist destinations that positively impact local economic activities as we approach Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” he stressed.
Tourism Malaysia Sabah is collaborating with the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), the MATTAS Sabah Chapter, as well as the Sabah Durian and Tropical Fruits Entrepreneurs Association (MaSDa) in the two days event, starting August 24 to 25, 2024, at The Durian Valley, Keningau.-BNN
