By Syafiq Affendy in Nanning, China
Brunei Tourism is currently participating in the 9th China-Asean Expo in Nanning, China, as part of its continuous efforts to further promote Brunei Darussalam as a unique tourist destination.
Aside from the "Brunei City of Charm" tourism booth located within the exhibition halls with other Asean member countries, Brunei Tourism held a seminar yesterday to provide visitors an in-depth preview of what they can expect in Brunei.
Present at the seminar was the Director of the Promotion and Facilitation Services Division under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Hj Awg Damit bin Hj Mohd Arshad; Wang Jiaxin, First Secretary at the Chinese Consulate in Brunei Darussalam; Ak Zulkhairi Pg Abdul Razak, Brunei Tourism Officer (Far East Markets); Raymond Kong from Beijing Longway, the Brunei Tourism marketing representative in China, and Sheren Khew, Ghanim International Food Corporation representative Compliance Officer.
The seminar started with opening remarks by Hj Awang Damit, followed by brief remarks by Wang Jiaxin who spoke about the many attractions in Brunei, as well as business opportunities, such as large-scale construction, that may become a win-win situation for Brunei and China.
Raymond Kong delivered a presentation about Brunei, the many points of interest, the culture, food and hospitality that Brunei has to offer, as well as the initiatives by their side to promote Brunei Tourism which are by setting up the Chinese version of Brunei Tourism website at www.bruneitourism.com.cn and setting up a Sina Weibo (a hybrid of the popular Facebook and Twitter microblogging site) account weibo.com/btchn, followed by a Q&A session.
Sheren Khew gave her presentation as the last section of the seminar, representing Ghanim International Food Corporation, the Marketing and Trading arm of the Brunei Halal brand.
She explained to the participants that Brunei Halal was born out of a concerted effort between crucial governmental bodies and commercial initiatives to introduce its Islamic heritage to the world.
"Brunei Darussalam today has two proud brand ambassadors to date - the Brunei Halal commercial brand, and the Brunei Halal religious accreditation. Brunei Halal religious mark is the religious accreditation aspect of the brand, which works independently but in tandem with the brand. It has served as the standard and only national accreditation in the country of Brunei and is under the authority of the Brunei Religious Council. The religious mark itself is only awarded to manufacturing facilities in Brunei that have achieved the required Halal standards," she said.
Sheren added that it is revered today to be the strongest and most respected of all Halal accreditation systems due to its independent governance and strict audit controls that are driven by the government.
"It is therefore a concerted effort of political will in the country, a testimony to its diversification ambitions and strict Islamic standards," she added.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Sunday
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