IWD2023: “The industry requires a collaborative effort to create an inclusive environment,” - Sabah Tourism Board CEO
“The industry requires a collaborative effort to create an inclusive environment, especially in order to achieve a sustainable tourism industry goal that will benefit everyone.”
Sabah’s travel industry was never askewed toward genderism; there have always been a few key women's leaders or pioneers in our travel industry.”
In her sequence of short videos, Noredah Othman, CEO of Sabah Tourism Boards & Executive Board of PATA talks about the value of ‘social innovation’ for the community, the role that non-profit organisations play in it, and how to get through any challenges that could stand in the way.
1. In what ways do you think non-profit organisations in tourism (NTOs, educational institutes, Associations, to name a few) can help the industry progress in the field of social innovation as a whole?
Data and research by the academia, as well as the tourism professionals and the expertise of the NTO and the nonprofit organisations, can be a catalyst to creating and raising awareness on tourism policies and practices. This can be seen in Sabah where our nonprofit organisations, such as the Rotary clubs and the lions, are often engaged with community-based tourism. They are able to transfer their knowledge and their expertise and guide the local community in terms of tourism as well as creating a better livelihood.
2. How can social innovation contribute to more equity in the tourism sector and can you give examples of best practices from your organisation?
Social innovations can contribute more equity in the tourism sector by addressing these social and economic imbalances that exist within the industry. This can include ensuring equal opportunities for females in this lucrative sector and thus empowering the communities economically. At Sabah Tourism Board, we remain committed to solidifying our effort in developing our community-based tourism or rural tourism for that matter, and our team continues to empower rural communities irrespective of their gender to get involved and venture into tourism sustainably in order to equip the local community within a necessary knowledge and skills.
We also work together with local institutions to transfer knowledge. Our dedicated product team also frequently engage with the local community through the district office as well as the tourism association within the districts to guide them in setting the product and community-based tourism experiences. The benefits of tourism are shared among the local community; and I believe through enhancing their skills and their knowledge, they're able to provide a greater experience within the surrounding or their local tourism offerings. For Sabah Tourism Board, we will continue to provide and promote our community-based tourism products through our many tourism programmes as well as promotional efforts.
3. Where do you see potential obstacles to social innovation and how can those be overcome?
While challenges are inevitable, likewise, there will be obstacles restraining the progress of social innovation implementation. There may be resistance to change, new ideas take time to simmer and be accepted, and this can be managed with a series of education programmes that perhaps involve local stakeholders and community leaders in exchange of knowledge and ideas revision.
Many communities might have limited access to knowledge for them to engage in social innovation, thus government, corporate bodies, educational institutions, and NGOs play a part in assisting them in their respective expertise, as well as providing guidance. This includes providing grants as well as incentives for any startup initiatives, so innovation tends to supersede policymaking hence dialogues with all local stakeholders and related agencies as well as regulators should be conducted rather than being done in silo.
4. What’s the ONE message that you would like to send to the industry on achieving gender equity in tourism?
My one message is: to provide an inclusive culture in our practices at all levels. I believe everyone can contribute and add value and should have access to education as well as training programmes. The industry requires a collaborative effort to create an inclusive environment, especially in order for us to achieve sustainable tourism industry growth that will benefit everyone.
In honour of International Women's Day, I would like to celebrate all the women in Sabah’s tourism industry, be it the front liners, the hotel managers, the cooks, the agency women, the homestay providers, as well as the handicraft makers. Happy International Women's Day!
About Sabah Tourism Board
The Sabah Tourism Board, or generally known as Sabah Tourism, is an agency of the Sabah State Government operating under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. Sabah Tourism’s primary responsibility is the marketing and promotion of tourism for the State.
Tourism is Sabah’s third largest and one important income-generating sector which supports more than 80,000 jobs. Striving to ensure that tourism remains an important economic pillar, Sabah Tourism continues to promote and market Sabah as a premier eco-tourism destination.
