Impact study on Bajausama Cultural Festival to boost tourism listing

Borneo Post

3 days ago

The making 'kuih jala' is among the attractions at the Bajausama Ethnic Cultural Festival Sabah 2025.
TUARAN (Aug 11): The Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sabah is conducting an impact study on the Bajausama Ethnic Cultural Festival Sabah 2025 to support efforts in listing the event in Malaysia's tourism calendar.
Now in its third edition, the festival serves as a platform to empower heritage and highlight the rich culture, customs, and unique traditions of the Bajausama community as a competitive tourism product for Sabah.
Dr Spencer Hedley Mogindol, senior lecturer at UiTM Sabah's Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, stated that the study is being carried out for documentation purposes under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), covering three key elements: economic impact, sociocultural influence and heritage food preservation.
'This impact study aims to gather data for future planning. MOTAC, as the festival's sponsor, wants to assess whether the event meets its objectives, including attracting more visitors and promoting the Bajau Sama community to the public.
'Without this study, we wouldn't have the necessary insights. The findings will help the organizing committee better plan next year's festival,' he said during an interview at the Bajau Sama Ethnic Cultural Center in Kampung Lok Batik on Sunday.
Dr Spencer, who is also the lead researcher, emphasized that the study's results will play a crucial role in securing the festival's place as a key event in Malaysia's national tourism calendar under MOTAC.
'This research is vital because the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) has already listed the festival in their calendar. Now, the focus is on MOTAC, the highest tourism authority. I believe this is a positive step that will benefit the community.
'As researchers, we aim to provide accurate data to the festival organizers, MOTAC, and other stakeholders. This information will help them improve future event management. Since this is the first such study, it will serve as a benchmark for organizers,' he added.
The four-day study involves 21 students and eight researchers from UiTM Sabah's Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, targeting 400 respondents, including visitors and exhibitors.
MOTAC, through the National Heritage Department, in collaboration with the state government, also organized the Heritage Flavors Festival@Sabah as part of the event. Activities included craft exhibitions, sales, the Ratu Serimpak (Bajau Headdress Queen) competition, Betitik (traditional musical performance), and a digital food photography contest.
The festival was inaugurated by Sabah Governor Tun Musa Aman, accompanied by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan.