by Imam Taufiqurrahman
primavest booth at ABF 2023
The 2023 Asian Bird Fair (ABF) was held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, on 13-17 October. This annual event which lasts for five days carries the main activity in the form of an exhibition for bird ecotourists throughout Asia on October 14-15.
At the 12th ABF event, the organizers carried the theme “Birds and Children: Hand in Hand”. Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, was present and officially opened the exhibition.
A total of 42 booths enlivened the event at the Sabah International Convention Center. The booths were mainly occupied by various bird tourism agents from countries in Asia, as well as several representatives from South America and Australia. Apart from that, there were also stands for supporting products in the bird industry, such as optical equipment and cameras.
Primavest also took part in the exhibition and was the only Indonesian representative booth. The mission is to introduce Primavest as an agency from SwaraOwa which offers various primate and bird tour package products, as well as products from SwaraOwa and Owa Coffee.
swaraowa’s conservation products at ABF 2023
The booth received quite good appreciation from visitors. Several agencies are interested in exploring the tour package products on offer, although they have not yet reached the booking or further collaboration stage.
In the exhibition, various forums and discussions, as well as activities for children enlivened the event. The key speaker presented was Noah Strycker, author of the book “Birding Without Borders”. Noah also shared his experiences traveling around the world to see as many types of birds as possible in one year. He underwent a ‘big year’, the term commonly used for this activity, in 2015. In his 365 day journey, the man from America was able to record encounters with more than 6,000 types of birds in 41 countries. A number that included 58.3% of the world’s total birds at that time.
Field Trip
field trip to Kinabalu park
As the end of the series of events, the committee held a bird watching trip on October 16. The trip starts from Kinabalu Park, a national park located at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. Participants were able to observe various types of interesting birds, such as the Bornean trogon and the madi-hijau whiteheaded . The two types endemic to Borneo are the highlight and are relatively easy to find.
The 2nd location took place at the Shangri-la Rasa Ria resort complex. At the location, there are various areas that are habitats for various animals, ranging from forests, beaches, to grasslands. This area can be managed well as a place to observe animals. Shangri-la Rasa Ria management also manages one area as a museum and information center about wildlife on site.
There are many benefits to be gained from involvement in ABF. First, this Asian event opens up wider opportunities to introduce Indonesian wildlife through the tour package products that are offered. Second, through ABF a wider network is opened to develop the wildlife ecotourism business. It is hoped that in the future, these opportunities and opportunities need to be continued by attending similar events, such as the 2024 Asian Bird Fair, which is planned to be held in the Philippines.
this article translated from original blogpost https://swaraowa.blogspot.com/2023/11/asian-bird-fair-2023-promosi-wisata.html