Business Matters

Twenty students from ECU have taken part in the field trip of a life-time, spending ten days in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo as part of their final year studies for a degree in Tourism. The students were led by ECU's Foundation Professor of Tourism, Ross Dowling, a keynote speaker at last year's Borneo Ecotourism Conference in Kota Kinabalu. Professor Dowling was so impressed by Sabah as a world class ecotourism destination that he brought the students to Borneo to see for themselves the five-star eco and cultural attractions of the State.

The students were in Sabah not only to learn about the natural and cultural conditions, but also to contribute to it. During their visit students personally made donations to two Rungus communities. At one they bought iron sheets to replace the roof of a community building and at a second they donated chairs to a local church. During their visit to the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre they sponsored an orphaned orang-utan. At Sukau, a remote part of the jungle called the ‘mini-Amazon’ they purchased and planted trees on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, as part of a conservation restoration program to return the riverbank to its natural vegetation.

The group was escorted on the trip by Mr Albert Teo, owner of Borneo Eco Tours and a leader in the field of ecotourism. Professor Dowling said that the group was honoured to be accompanied by someone who could provide such a rich knowledge of the area with an ecotourism perspective.

"Mr Albert Teo was vital to the organisation of the field trip as he is considered a global leader in the field of Ecotourism. We were fortunate to not only have his company, Borneo Eco Tours, arrange the ground itinerary for us in Sabah, but we had him and his staff accompany us throughout the trip," said Professor Dowling.

Since returning to Australia the students have continued their links with Sabah. Justine Nagorski has commenced an honour thesis on the 'Branding of Sabah Tourism'. Michelle Noronha, an Environmental Science student, hopes to return to Sukau shortly to record the knowledge of a former serviceman who lived off the jungle for eight years and who has encyclopedic knowledge of the tropical rainforest. A third student, Catrina Vinciullo, was so inspired by her experience of the Rungus people, that she is now arranging to spend time teaching English in another third world community.

Professor Dowling will continue his association with Borneo as Program Coordinator for the Fourth Borneo Tourism Conference being held in Kuching, Sarawak in September, 2007. He will also work with the Tourism Program at the University of Malaysia Sabah and intends to prepare a Sustainable Tourism Development Plan for the Sukau area. The university's links with Mr Albert Teo also remain strong as he has recently been appointed as ECU's first Adjunct Lecturer in Tourism for his contributions to ECU's Tourism Program over many years.

Trip Highlights

The group arrived in Kota Kinabalu and spent the first afternoon visiting the University of Malaysia Sabah (UMS). The students met with UMS Tourism and Hospitality students and were inspired by the beautiful campus.

Travel within Sabah was undertaken by Mr Albert Teo's Borneo Eco Tours with accommodation at a number of his places including Borneo Backpackers in the capital city of Kota Kinabalu and Sukau Rainforest Lodge, in the remote Kinabatangan River area. The group also spent time sharing with a number of Rungus Communities at Kudat on the northern tip of Borneo where they were accompanied by Datuk Markus Majihi, former Assistant Minister in the Sabah Government and currently Manager of Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technology.

The group traveled to Mt Kinabalu and enjoyed the Tree Canopy Walk. The walk through the rainforest canopy was quite spectacular and the many small waterfalls and streams below also added to the experience.

An overnight stop at Sandakan included a visit to the water village, the Sandakan War Memorial and the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. The Memorial visit was particularly emotional for the group and all students came away feeling very humbled by what had occurred on the former prisoner of war site as well as during the subsequent death march at the end of World War II.

The final part of the trip was a three-night stay at Albert Teo's Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, accompanied by Mr Teo himself. Getting there by speed-boat was a thrilling experience both out to sea as well as up the river. The main activity at the lodge was wildlife spotting from both jungle walks and river cruises. The vast array of animal, birds, treesand flowers made this an incredibly enriching experience with the students capturing thousands of photos. The highlight for the students was the proboscis monkeys which were evident in abundance. During a night boat trip the group saw crocodiles, lizards and a variety of birds.

At Sukau the group spent lengthy sessions with Albert Teo providing feedback on their tour andtheir impressions of tourism in Sabah. For these senior Tourism and Environmental students it was a chance for them to put their studies into practice and help suggest ideas for the continued growth and development of tourism. All who participated on the trip said it was a life-changing experience and something they would always remember about their studies at ECU.

The highlight of the trip was our visit to the communities - the look on their faces when we gave them gifts was priceless and something I'll cherish forever

- Andrea Borich

A unique and exhilarating experience. I have so many fantastic memories of the trip, the most powerful was our cultural exchange with the Rungus communities in Kudat. From this interaction I have learnt to appreciate the things that I take for granted everyday. The whole trip was filled with life altering experiences that could not be learnt in a lecture theatre

- Justine Nagorski

The trip to Borneo was the best experience I have had at university. I especially enjoyed the Sukau Rainforest Lodge as it was a wonderful example of eco-principles put into practice. This experience has really enabled me to identify what I want in a career like no classroom theory has been able to do

- Vanessa Swinton