Nils Beijer

Tourism in the Kelabit Highlands: How to Optimise Sustainable Tourism Development Nils Beijer

The Kelabit Highlands are located in Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia and one of the two states on the island of Borneo, collectively known as East-Malaysia. The Highlands can be considered one of the most remote locations within Sarawak, at an altitude of about 1100 meter it is only accessible by air using a 19-seater twin otter aircraft. The area is situated right in the centre of the World Wide Fund transboundary conservation initiative ?The Heart of Borneo?. Presently the Kelabit Highlands are changing as consequence of progress; a social generation shift, out-migration of the younger generations, logging companies are moving up in the area, introduction of modern communication facilities and the increase of accessibly. This book is analysing the current tourism situation in the Kelabit Highlands and determines how tourism can be used to optimise sustainable development and provides recommendations on how tourism can help generate long-term benefit to the environment, local economy and community.