GREEN TOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY – THE 2ND PAHANG INTERNATIONAL TOURISM SYMPOSIUM 2022

Once again UCYP was entrusted to organize the 2nd Pahang International Tourism Symposium 2022 in collaboration with the Pahang State Government and Tourism Pahang as a strategic partner. Green Tourism & Sustainability Strategies was chosen as the theme, and it was the brainchild of Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Sharkar Bin Haji Shamsudin, the Chairman, Pahang State Tourism, Culture, Environment, Agriculture and Commodities Committee who is persistent and committed in ensuring the development and sustainability of the tourism and environment in Pahang, especially matters related to economy and social growth.

The symposium, which was held on 10th March 2022 via ZOOM platform, received 221 entries from various countries, agencies and higher learning institutions. In his opening speech, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Sharkar mentioned that the state government is devoted to supporting the global agenda as proposed by the United Nations (UN) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He strongly encouraged hotel and resort practitioners as major players in the tourism industry, to embrace the Go Green Concept, for the sake of sustaining the environment as well as revitalizing the tourism industry’s activities.

UCYP Vice Chancellor, Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Bin Hj. Zainuddin, advisor of PITS 2022 said, the tourism industry is not only focusing on the beauty of historical destinations but also maintaining the ecosystem and preserving the heritage for the future generations. Accordingly, UCYP also worked hand in hand with the Pahang Tourism, Culture, Environment, Agriculture and Commodities Committee to address the climate change phenomenon that could affect the ecosystem cycle. The escalation of the issue will impact the industry development, especially in the domestic and global tourism sectors. Hence, the chosen theme promotes low ecological impact and is able to reduce the impact of pollution on the environment. In other words, this practice will benefit the community especially in terms of better air quality, clean and safe water supply and more sustainable agricultural methods.

PITS 2022 brought together 11 speakers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates. The intellectual discourse provides wide and rich perspectives on how the implementation of Green Tourism is practiced locally and globally.

Throughout the program, participants were exposed to various inputs, findings, experience sharing, issues, challenges and strategies that can be considered in the implementation of Green Tourism. Among the essence and aspects presented are the current scenario of the Malaysian tourism industry as well as other countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines. Dato’ Dr. Amar, Mr. Uzaidi, Assc. Prof. Dr. Pham and Assc. Prof. Dr. Hilda shared statistics and projections on the number of domestic and international tourists, unemployment rate, the trends of declining tourism industry as well as their interpretations and strategies that can be applied.

Furthermore, an initiation towards the Green Tourism and Ecotourism concept was shared by Dr. Roslizawati (Malaysia), Dr. Ahmad Al-Jumah (UAE), and Dr. Ricky (Indonesia). It is certain that these concepts provide a minimal ecological impact on the environment and are also devoted to the improvement of the domestic economy and maintaining ecosystem sustainability. In addition, according to Professor Dr. Dileep Kumar, the concept of Green Tourism has a disparate perception among the Hindu community groups in India as compared to the Western community, in which they are more likely to appreciate the concept of conservation of natural ecosystems. In addition, Associate Professor Dr. Abdul Wahab also shared the dilemma faced by the industry practitioners such as the hotel and food industry (restaurant/cafe) which is known as HORECA, as it is the most affected. According to him, adversity can be overcome if a country provides great facilities such as good internet access, public facilities, and complete infrastructure. Therefore, a good promotional strategy or package of Green Tourism destinations helps out industry players in terms of planning and increasing the impact on the products, services, and quality of the tourism sector. These fruitful inputs were shared by speakers from the Malaysia Tourism Council as well as the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.

The vast experience shared by the speakers in ensuring the sustainability of tourism destinations such as in Kelantan, Philippines, and Vietnam has broadened the perspectives on how the environment needs to be preserved for the balance of the world’s ecosystem and the future generation. The research findings were shared by Dr. Akhmad Fitri Hadi in forest management efforts for the tourism sector. In addition, a panel from Medan, Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Wayan also shared the concept of Sad Kirti and Tri Hita Karana which have been practiced by the Balinese community, in which their beliefs and culture are for the sake of human and universal harmony.

It is hoped that this collaboration will give more opportunity to the players and practitioners in the tourism industry, stakeholders, researchers, and the community to play their respective roles for the sake of environmental sustainability and the continuity of the domestic and international tourism industry.

Written by: Farah Hariaty Mohd Shukri