The Sabah Tourism Board (STB) is working with the Chamber of Commerce of Kadazandusun to offer rural people proper training in soft tourism knowledge and experience.

STB president Datuk Joniston Bangkuai stated that the community of Kadazandusun and Sabahan needed an upgrade in order to increase their competence to better understand their products and cultures in order to provide tourists with better communication skills.

"We are really going strong on rural tourism because of its huge potential. In Kiulu itself, the revenue for its rural tourism is RM5.2 million with more than 40 operators based on the 2019 report.

"We can work together with KCCI on initiatives to empower our Kadazandusun community in the tourism area and KCCI can be a platform to conduct training for targeted areas towards the preservation of culture as well as environment," he said in a statement.

During a call by the KCCI delegation to the STB office, Bangkuai, the Kiulu Assemblyman who is also assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, stated this.

Among the potential collaborations is a pilot project to educate the local community to understand the values of products so that both  would not be taken advantage of by tourists and visitors alike.

STB worked on pilot projects to teach Chinese and English as the basic languages of the Kadamai and Kiulu communities in 2019 with Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

The Marais and Rundum communities in Tenom were planned for a similar project last year but the Covid-19 Pandemic stopped it.

Earlier, the President of KCCI Datuk Bonipasius Bianis emphasised that Kadazandusun people, who have the potential to be guides in their respective regions, should be given basic training.

"I have received feedback especially in Kampung Kiau in Ranau. The people are guiding bird watchers. However, what is lacking is their knowledge (on birds) and communication skills.

"There's a need to give them basic foreign language skills, especially in English, and knowledge on bird species. This is so they can give value-added services as a guide instead of just guiding because they are familiar with the area," he said.

KCCI also noted that there was a similar situation among local, traditional weavers, who lacked the skill to explain the value of their products and, therefore, often settle with tourism at a much lower price.

Bianis says KCCI is looking forward to working with the STB to help the community of Kadazandusun get back on foot, noting that the pandemic affected some of its 800 tourist operators.