| Azlan Othman |
BRUNEI’S Islamic culture and values must be the core foundation of its tourism initiative, said the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism.
Brunei Darussalam is a new player in tourism business and through the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism we need to develop more attractive tourism products in line with our Islamic values to develop the industry as a way to diversify our economy, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong highlighted in his speech at the opening of the regional seminar on the ‘Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on Asian Tourism Market’ yesterday.
“Insya Allah, with our instilled Islamic culture and values, we will be able to provide the best service we could for our guests and make them feel welcome, safe and make them want to come back,” he added.
As in any industry, tourism needs products to be offered.
But these products need to be polished and packaged nicely before it is sold. This means that the product offerings must be accessible, safe, clean, comfortable and reliable, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali said.
Then someone needs to market these to potential visitors. Tourism is a service industry and requires personal touch. The welcoming smile and a greeting or any other personal touch that you offer when your customers enter a restaurant or hotel or any other service are important elements for the success of this industry.
The warmth and attention your customers receive when they are being served are important. Your gentle way can make customers or guests feel important and appreciated. These are the things that make people want to come back.
Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, poses with the delegates and speakers. – AZLAN OTHMAN
Meanwhile, Imtiaz Muqbil, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Consultant, said Brunei Darussalam should use its tagline ‘Abode of Peace’ as the tourism slogan as Islam is a religion of peace.
Presenting his working paper on the ‘Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on Asian Tourism Market’, he said, “Brunei needs to create new jobs for the people as oil and gas is running out fast and there is already redundancy in energy exports.”
If the quality of monuments, historical sites and museums in Brunei Darussalam can be upgraded, the result would be more valuable for the Ummah than all the oil and gas in the Sultanate.
Brunei is uniquely placed to be a key part of the Islamic tourism initiative, he added.
Another speaker, Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari bin Pehin Siraja Khatib Haji Abu Hanifah, Director of Administration at the State Mufti’s Office and the Head of Management of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery, said when Islamic values are applied in tourism, there should not be any elements of insubordination to Allah the Almighty at the levels of faith and ideas, and it must be in conformity with Syariah at level of practices.
Uncompromising stance of Islam does not mean restricting the scope of tourism. The great Islamic civilisation was very much attributable to travel, he noted.
Islamic tourism is about knowledge tourism. To appreciate the organisation of the universe and the world and to know Allah the Almighty that reveals Himself in His creation is to understand unity in biodiversity – to understand unity in cultural biodiversity, to understand the divine power and divine wisdom in Allah the Almighty’s creation and to understand the divine laws operating in the moral domain of human history.
The post Islamic values must be core of tourism drive: Minister appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.