The tourism industry in Sabah must fully embrace the information and communications technology if it was to modernize and effectively reach out to consumers.

The State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that industry players can benefit from relevant training to move in tandem in terms of digital marketing and build a stronger branding for Sabah.

For this, the ministry will be organizing a Digital Tourism Workshop on 23-24 January meant for industry players and interested business owners.

The speaker will be Damien Cook, Founder and CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers who has spoken internationally.

Cook has presented papers at the World Information Summit in Tunis, the Global Experts Panel on E-Tourism, ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) in Berlin as well as PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Tourism Forums.

E-Tourism Frontiers has worked with South African Tourism, Indonesia Ministry of Tourism, Athens and Rhodes Tourism (Greece) to name a few, and has partnered with TripAdvisor, Facebook, YouTube, Expedia and Google.

This first-ever workshop will be subsidized by Sabah Tourism Board. Early bird fee is RM500 per participant until 12 January, and normal fees will be RM650. Closing date for registration is 17 January.

To register, contact Francesca Lydia francesca@sabahtourism.com or call 088-232121.