Kiulu Tourism Takes Off with New Pilot Project

Kiulu subdistrict has been selected to implement a pilot project for digital tourism data collection aimed at strengthening efforts to record tourist arrivals in rural areas of Sabah. This initiative is a vital step towards enhancing the methods of collecting, analysing and utilising tourism data more effectively. Accurate data collection is essential to understanding the true state of the rural and community-based tourism industry and formulating appropriate strategies.

The success of this pilot project in Kiulu will pave the way for expansion to other districts in Sabah and eventually throughout Malaysia. The project aligns with the Government’s efforts to integrate technology within the rural tourism sector to ensure more comprehensive recording of tourist arrivals.

The latest data collected shows that 85 community-based tourism operators from 18 districts have submitted their data. Records indicate that only 269,154 visitors were recorded visiting community-based tourism products up until November 2024, generating estimated revenue exceeding RM6.5 million. However, this figure could be higher as there are still areas that lack a comprehensive data collection system.

This data digitalisation project addresses the issue of insufficient accurate data and helps identify areas that need attention and investment to further develop the rural tourism industry. It enables the Sabah Tourism Board to better understand tourist patterns and improve promotional strategies and future planning.

The project is a strategic collaboration between the Sabah Tourism Board and the Kiulu Tourism Association, with the data collection application developed by Datablu. Kiulu was chosen for this initiative as it was made a pilot project for rural and community-based tourism development in 2014.

The application was designed to assist tourism operators in managing their activities more professionally through features such as automated e-receipt generation and more systematic activity management. This is believed to be the first application focusing specifically on rural tourism data collection. Kiulu could serve as a model for others to follow in terms of rural tourism development through effective data collection and management.

The launch of the rural tourism data collection application was attended by several officials, including the Chief Executive Officer of the Sabah Tourism Board and the President of the Kiulu Tourism Association.