KUCHING, April 12: Dr Hiram Ting is the first Sarawakian to be appointed as a panel member of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the United Nations agency supervising the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
According to a press release, as the leading international organisation in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Tourism, Performing Arts and Creative Industry Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah congratulated Ting on his appointment when presenting the certificate of appointment to the latter.
“This appointment is significant not only to the ministry, but also to Sarawak and Malaysia. I am made to understand that the UNWTO need someone in Southeast Asia or Far East to enrich their data and analysis in relation to tourism barometer and outputs.
“It is an honour for Hiram to be included as the Panel of Tourism Experts,” said Abdul Karim in a statement today.
The appointment came after Abdul Karim’s official visit to the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid on March 10.
It was the first time a Sarawak government delegation visited the UNWTO. The visit’s objectives were to explore opportunities for collaboration and strengthen their partnership to accelerate tourism recovery and sustainable development.
Among the matters discussed were responsible tourism initiatives, sustainable tourism policies and practices as well as tourism marketing intelligence and data management.
Ting was in the Sarawak delegation in Madrid. His academic background and expertise in tourism are relevant to the advancement of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.
As a member of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts, he is tasked to contribute input to the evaluation of tourism performance and short-term prospects, which serves as a basis for updating the UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index.
The opinion by the Panel is regularly quoted by media channels and institutions around the world.
Ting who is the Director of Responsible Borneo and chairman of Sarawak Research Society, is currently attached to the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management as an associate professor in Sarawak’s UCSI University, which is ranked as the 34th best university globally for Hospitality and Leisure Management.
He has been working closely with MTCP in recent years, particularly in areas related to responsible tourism, such as the publication of Journal of Responsible Tourism Management (JRTM), International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH), Sarawak Youth Talent (SYT) and World Tourism Day (WTD) Conference in Sarawak.
The impact of his work goes beyond Sarawak, as seen in his efforts to lead the global responsible tourism movement in Southeast Asia through the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) and advocate real impact in the capacity of an Ambassador for Emerald Publishing in East Asia.
His recent projects with the ministry includes the responsible tourism blueprint and green and gold tourism among the communities. — DayakDaily
