SIMUNJAN: The Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) has urged the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) to list Sabal Open Day as an annual event in the Sarawak Tourism Calendar.
Its director, Datuk Hamden Mohammad, said the event, introduced in 2024, is currently only featured in the department’s internal calendar despite its growing success.
“We hope the ministry and the state government can elevate Sabal Open Day into the official tourism calendar, with the possibility of securing special state allocations for the programme,” he said.
He said this during the launch of Sabal Forest Reserve as an eco-tourism destination and the 2025 edition of Sabal Open Day, here on Saturday.
Hamden explained the programme began as an outreach initiative to raise awareness on forest conservation and the importance of trees in daily life.
The overwhelming response during the inaugural edition last year encouraged the department to hold it annually, with this year’s scope and scale expanded to reach more participants.
“This year’s focus is to promote Sabal Forest Reserve as both an eco-tourism destination and a hub for environmental education,” he added.
Highlights included mountain biking, drone racing, obstacle course run, tree climbing, flying fox, and tug-of-war, all designed to attract younger participants while promoting healthy lifestyles in nature.
Other activities such as slingshot, ‘sepak takraw’ and e-sports were introduced to appeal to different age groups and interests.
Family-oriented events like karaoke, foot golf, camping and community photography competitions also provided meaningful experiences in a relaxed forest environment.
“Sabal is now being positioned as a ‘healing forest’ — a place to calm the soul and enjoy natural therapy through activities such as forest bathing and relaxing amidst the greenery.
“This initiative is in line with the holistic wellness concept that connects people with nature for mental and physical healing,” he said.
Hamden noted that the three-day programme, combining extreme sports and leisure activities, showed Sabal was a space for all — a platform for community unity, education, recreation and conservation.
He stressed that such initiatives proved forests were not only natural resources but also platforms for community development, education, recreation and research.
“The department remains committed to implementing the state government’s mandate under PCDS 2030, particularly in the areas of Environmental Sustainability and Optimising Assets & Human Capital,” he said.
