Sabah finetuning products for 'dark' tourism sites in Sabah Parks

 By Olivia Miwil - October 21, 2021 @ 2:16pm

Turtle cave in Sipadan is one of the proposed dark tourism destination. - Pic courtesy of Joe Starzz

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government will fine tune products at 40 proposed dark tourism destinations at the Sabah Parks sites.

Dark tourism involves travels to spots associated with deaths or tragedies.

Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the measures were the continuation of Sabah Parks' workshops to identify such products at its stations and parks since last month.

"The detailed development of the chosen locations definitely need support and collaboration from many including universities to do further studies about dark tourism.

"A proper planning and promotional strategy that will be developed in future have to be done by Sabah Parks immediately with collaboration with Sabah Tourism Board," he said during the virtual closing of the Sabah Parks's Ecotourism and Dark Tourism workshop sessions.

There were eight sharing sessions held every Tuesday and Thursdays from Sept 21 until Oct 14 to look into potential locations as dark tourism spots.

Among them are at Kinabalu Parks, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Pulau Tiga, Crocker Range, Tun Mustapha Park, Turtles island Park, Tawau Hill Park, Sipadan island and Tun Sakaran Park.

Joniston, who is also Sabah Tourism Board chairman, said the dark tourism concept was a combined the elements of history, heritage, tourism and tragedy.

"Based on the concept, Malaysia, particularly Sabah has many dark tourism sites but they are not well known and had received objections (of promoting those sites) from many including the local community.

"Those objections are likely due to lack of information through scientific studies based on dark tourism. Some even thought that it only involves elements of a paranormal experience," he said.

Nevertheless, Joniston said the ministry saw dark tourism from the perspective of a new marketing strategy to offer tourism packages and products to attract domestic and international tourists.

"Overall, the Sabah Parks Dark Tourism (workshop) programme has achieved its objectives in exploring the dark tourism concept from an academic angle and experience shared by players."