Bird tours have a future

CYBERJAYA  There are moves afoot to turn Malaysia into a prime birding destination, a niche market that could attract bird watchers and amateur photographers from neighbouring countries.
A seminar on “Malaysia; a preferred birding destination” concluded recently at Cyberjaya with tourism players and birding enthusiasts claiming the birding niche in tourism had a strong future.
The seminar, organised by Tourism Malaysia, brought together some 100 participants comprising government officers from Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Tourism Malaysia, Forestry Department, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, tourism promotions boards, researchers and academicians, nature and birding societies, nature guides, travel agents, and nature photographers.
inside no 9Over the two-day seminar, the group shared experiences and best practices on how to develop and market the niche interest by identifying marketable birding areas for tourists and documenting the inventory of birds resident in the country.
The Malaysian Nature Society has identified 55 important bird areas in Malaysia, areas that are internationally recognized for their biodiversity conservation. A total of 795 species of birds have been recorded in Malaysia with over 60 species considered as endemic birds.

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