When Southeast Asian travel and tourism come into the picture, travel professionals tend to focus on the usual suspects: the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
Some would make a foray into parts of Malaysia and Indonesia, specifically places like Melaka and Penang in the former and Bali and Jakarta in the latter.
For the most part, one member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) tends to be overlooked: Brunei Darussalam.
But could this small yet wealthy nation have an ace to play when it comes to regional and even global tourism?
An emergent niche market player
Experts agree that, with a heritage spanning centuries and its own way of manifesting its shared Malayan heritage, Brunei does have something to offer global travellers.
But where it could outshine its regional neighbours is in a surprising industrial niche: sustainable luxury tourism.
In this particular field, Brunei stands to take the lead thanks to its current stance regarding ecological consciousness and shifting to greener operations despite the fact that its economy is highly oil-dependent.
With that said, Brunei’s sustainable tourism initiatives centre on the following principles:
- Preservation of the local environment and cultural heritage;
- Offering of eco-friendly products like sustainable accommodations and ethical adventures;
- Regenerative tourism in the form of community engagement and support for sustainable community measures;
- The use of green transportation, including eco-friendly public transport and cycling, as well as pedestrian-centric infrastructure; and
- Ensure that all measures related to tourism and tourism promotion have little to no adverse impact on the natural environment.
For these reasons, we are seeing the development of eco-friendly resorts in the country’s Temburong district, along with the imposition of key measures to preserve local biodiversity.
Islamic tourism also promises to be a growth area for the country, given how its people are predominantly Muslim and its places of worship are considered architectural marvels by both sectarian and secular experts.
What’s running against it
Despite all these, Brunei continues to struggle to be seen by key players in global travel and tourism.
To be fair, however, it has not been as aggressive as its neighbours when it comes to tourism promotion.
Indeed, unlike the neighbours’ Amazing Thailand, Love the Philippines, Malaysia Truly Asia, and even Wonderful Indonesia, Brunei tourism seems to have fallen off the radar: there are no catchy slogans, no vivid imagery to plan vacations around.
As a result, the tourism sector’s contribution to Brunei’s gross domestic product (GDP) has dropped from a high of 7.4 percent in 2017 to just a little over five percent.
But the government isn’t letting this slide; indeed, relevant authorities are currently working on a developmental roadmap for tourism, as well as related industries.
These strategies are focused on three key pillars: Islamic tourism, green tourism, and community-driven tourism.
Brunei is aware that, in terms of sheer scale, it is highly unlikely it can compete against the likes of Thailand and Bali in Indonesia.
But if it can get a bigger slice of the green tourism pie, then its efforts will certainly be worth it.
