This Kudat homestay draws foreign tourists
Published on: Sunday, December 12, 2021
Beach view at Kg Tajau Laut.
KUDAT: Kg Tajau Laut here holds enormous potential as an excursion destination for those looking to get away from the rush and bustle of the city and enjoy a peaceful coastal life.With such potential, it is also conducive for community-based tourism, which would create a platform for the village communities to spur their local economy.
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The tranquil seaside village, some 180 kilometres from the state capital, has a population of some 500 people, the majority of whom are Bajau and rely on marine products.
There is currently only a private guesthouse - Tajau Laut Guesthouse - that can accommodate overnight visitors.
It is operated by Junaidi Awang Bulat, who helped bring tourists to the village and get the community involved in tourism activities.
“The tourism here is still new. I started in 2016, and with the help of villagers, I constructed a guesthouse made out of driftwoods,” he said, adding he now has three guesthouse units with five rooms in total.
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Since operating, Tajau Laut Guesthouse recorded an increase in tourists’ arrivals over the years, with 589 guests recorded in 2019. Out of the figure, 446 were foreigners from Europe, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Taiwan, India, Argentina, and Japan, among others.
Junaidi noted that after seeing the favourable response, the villagers expressed interest in developing community-based tourism, for which they were initially unprepared.
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STB assistant product manager Jason Jay Justin Paujik giving a presentation on community-based tourism to Kg Tajau Laut villagers.
Recently, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) product team visited Kg Tajau Laut to brief the people on the community-based tourism concept after seeing the potential.
STB officials present were STB Board member Walter Kandayon, also chairman of Kadamaian Tourism Association, and STB product manager Daniel Roman, and assistant product managers Jason Jay Justin Paujik and Doren Munting
Junaidi said the villagers were grateful to STB for meeting with them as the interaction had raised the people’s awareness of the necessity of working together to transform Kg Tajau Laut into a rural community-based tourism destination and keeping their village clean.
To begin, he said the village community had formed a committee to discuss necessary matters, such as potential products or activities to be introduced to future visitors.
For the time being, tourists and visitors can enjoy snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, coral conservation, and cooking. The community is planning to build a jungle trekking trail.
During the engagement, STB staff teamed up with the village community to clean up the beach, collecting 438kg of trash. Plastic bottles, plastic bags, and food plastic packaging make up most of the garbage collected.
STB Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman said it was encouraging to see more locals keen to venture into tourism and develop their resources.
“Over the years, the district of Kudat has seen more growth of accommodation, and could still benefit from more.
“Our initiatives are in line with our Sustainable Development Goals especially in guiding the product owners and tourism operators in best practices,” she said.
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