BRUNEI handicrafts were on display at the Asean Textile Exhibition here in Bali in the country's bid to showcase its traditions and prowess in folk handicraft.
Showcased at the Bali International Convention Centre, three Bruneianentrepreneurs who were flown to the tourist island courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) have been minding the Brunei exhibition stall since Wednesday.
A senior official from the MoFAT's Department of International Trade who agreed to speak to The Brunei Times on the condition of anonymity said that the ministry collaborated with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports to promote Brunei's local handmade products during the exhibition.
"We're giving opportunities to local SMEs to market their products here as they would be able to promote their products through the exhibition. At the same time, they would be able to establish business network with producers from Malaysia and Singapore for example," said the official.
"The local SMEs could also use the exhibition as a platform to share and listen to experiences from fellow producers in region."
Asmad Hj Umar of Asnika Enterprise, one of the exhibitors, has made a name for himself in producing quality traditional fabric which is highly sought after in Brunei.
Asmad said the exhibition was an opportunity to educate the community of Asean on Brunei's identity through the art of weaving.
"Although the artworks (have some semblance) of Malaysian and Indonesian influences, Brunei's design has an identity and motif of its own, which makes it unique to the eyes of those who appreciate the art of handicraft making," said Asmad.
He said a number of delegates from various countries have visited his booth, as well as VVIPs which included Indonesia's first lady.
Sharing the booth with Asnika was another local firm Batik Desamas, owned by batik designer ZainalAbidin Ibrahim.
Eyeing overseas markets, Zainal was hoping to seize the opportunity to promote his Batik products through new channels knowing that delegates from the US and Brazil would be visiting.
Zainal Abidin recently developed an innovative system that will allow his batik to be mass produced in order to capitalise on the regional and possibly global market.
The innovation, he said, is "Digital Batik", in which he applies advanced software and engineering todigitalise his hand-drawn work, which can then be replicated to produce a whole range of Batik products from apparels to bedsheets. A prototype of a few of his products were displayed on the Brunei booth.
Meanwhile, Hjh Robiah Hj Ampal, designer and proprietorof woven Brunei handicrafts (under her company Hikmah Enterprise) showcased her signature sinjang, a cloth Malay males normally wear around their waists to complement the national costume, baju melayu.
Hj Robiah, who has participated in a number of expos in various countries over the years, said that the textile fair was an opportunity to not just promote her products, but also to get inspiration from foreign exhibitors on new design ideas for her future designs.
Unlike the trade expos whichshe has participated in Malaysia in recent years however, Hj Robiah said that the current exhibitionhas not gained much consumer traffic.
"The Summit is held near here, hence the security has been very tight around this compound, and the venue is not open to the public except for Asean delegates and officials with passes," she said.
The exhibition was aimed to broaden the visitors' insight on the cultural similarities between the Aseannations through the art of hand woven textiles. It was also a one-stop-shopping avenue for the delegates of the Asean Summit looking to bring home quality souveniers from the Southeast Asian countries.
Through handwoven products, the exhibition showcases the diversity of the Asean's cultural heritage and also the similarities of national history, culture and the community of the region.
Around 150 textile exhibitors from Asean countries participated in the exhibition, with more than 1,200 handcrafted products being showcased on the exhibition floor.
The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2011/11/20/brunei-handicrafts-show-bali
Showing posts with label Brunei handicraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brunei handicraft. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Unissa poll : Tourists Splurge On Handicrafts, BATIK
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| A woman weaving. A poll says handicrafts and batik are among the popular purchases of tourists visiting Brunei. Picture: BT file |
The study, conducted by Dr Mohamed Sharif Bashir, dean of the faculty and colleague Hjh Nur Annisa Hj Sarbini, showed an increase of $10 million in tourist expenditure last year from $475.5 million in 2008.
In 2009, tourist spendings in Brunei amounted to $485.3 million, based on figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The study was conducted last year to identify the spending patterns of tourists in the Sultanate.
"We wanted to do this study because Brunei has plans to diversify the economy away from oil and gas and tourism is slated to be one of the industries to help this diversification," said Dr Mohamed, in an interview on the sidelines of the recent International Islamic Conference organised by Unissa.
He added that his findings provided a general overview of the Brunei tourism sector. It sought to examine factors to improve Brunei's tourism sector, investigate tourists' profile and their expenditures in Brunei to help provide policymakers with information to implement more adequate and integrated policies in the specific segmented markets.
A questionnaire survey was given to 120 respondents in June last year in different locations in Bandar Seri Begawan, including hotels and shopping complexes in the capital.
"We found that in general, the tourists, were made up of females, between 20 and 30 years old, and that almost 29 per cent of them were Malaysians. The findings also showed that 86.8 per cent of the tourists recommended Brunei as a tourist destination," said Dr Mohamed.
Survey respondents were visitors who made their own travel arrangements and were accompanied by their friends.
Based on the gender profile of the study, it showed that 52 per cent were female and 48 per cent were male. Tourists from Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom also took part in the survey.
"Major items that were purchased was handicrafts, which was 45 per cent of the tourists surveyed, followed by batik, which accounts for 39 per cent of the respondents," he said. In the paper, titled "Study on Tourists Expenditures Pattern in Brunei Darussalam", the scholars showed that jewellery such as watches and gold, as well as computer and electronic appliances, also grabbed the interests of respondents.
The paper also said that 60 per cent of the respondents said the major attraction for picking Brunei as a tourist destination was because of its "safe environment", as well as the curiosity to find out more about the Sultanate, due to word of mouth from friends and families who have previously visited.
Respondents also recommended improving shopping facilities and public transportation system.
"Another potential area to be developed is cultural events and more attractive activities for tourists, as many of them said that without these amenities, they wouldn't return to Brunei, so there needs to be a reason for these tourists to want to come back a second time," he said.
The dean also found that Brunei could establish a national brand identity, which could be based on the cultural and heritage background of Brunei. "What uniquely constitutes Brunei, must be promoted to keep the inbound visitors coming, and it also needs to improve many attractions including shopping complexes, transportation and hotel facilities," said the report.
"Although there are about 40 licenced travel agencies in Brunei, only a handful were actively engaged in inbound ground handling operations for foreign tourists, while most licenced travel agencies deal in ticketing and outbound travel," stated the paper. He said that the lack of competition in the inbound tourism sector is limited and has led to the aggressive promotional efforts by the Brunei Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.
"It is without a doubt that Brunei Tourism is targeting the upmarket, discerning and mature segments in the tourist source markets such as Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, have positioned themselves to be a destination for ecotourism, relaxation, wholesome family trips, honeymoons, golfing, and even for stop-over programmes," said the study.
The authors concluded that "policymakers should give more emphasis on the development of the infrastructure including transportation, financial services, hotels and restaurants, entertainment and travelling facilities, such as the ones provided by the Immigration Department for facilitating the tourists' arrival". The paper also suggested the the private sector should play a role in participating to promote tourism activities, as it could bring benefits in terms of generating employment opportunities and increasing incomes, as well as "expanding the production capacity of the small and medium enterprises". The Brunei Times
source :
http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2010/03/06/tourists-splurge-handicrafts-batik-unissa-poll
Friday, November 2, 2007
Malaysian Minister's Wife Visits Sumbangsih Mulia SME Complex
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| Social visit: Datin Seri Sharifah Aziah Syed Zainal Abidin (L), wife of Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, visits one of the shops at Sumbangsih Mulia SME Complex. Picture: Saifulizam/BT |
She was accompanied by Sri Norizan Sulaiman, the wife of the secretary general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, and Datin Zakiah Dato Hj Alias, the wife of Malaysia's High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam.
On hand to welcome the group was the Sumbangsih Mulia Building Manager, Pg Kahar Pg Md Salleh.
The $2.5 million complex officially opened its doors to house local entrepreneurs in February this year. The building has a total of 122 shop lots, outside and inside the air-conditioned building.
Outside, 108 stalls are used to sell food products, 14 lots for fruits and vegetables, and the other 10 lots are occupied by barbecue stalls.
Meanwhile,in the air-conditioned area, 30 lots are provided for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) selling various local products such as Brunei handicrafts and dry food. "So far, 19 out of the 20 slots are occupied at the ground floor. On the first floor, eight businesses had been set up, and there is another two coming soon," said Pg Kahar.
One of the main attractions at the complex was the 'Batik Desa Mas' boutique, owned by a local, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim.
Zainal Abidin told The Brunei Times that he had started hand-printing batik since 2000. However, it was only during the last two years that he became more active, and so far had produced at least 50 pieces of batik. According to him, the visitors gave him good comments about his products which he took as encouragement. Some of them even bought some batik pieces to take home.
The visit was part of Datin Sharifah's itinerary during her three-day stay in Brunei.
The Malaysian minister, Dato Seri Syed Hamid Albar, and his entourage were in Brunei to attend the friendly sports game with the Brunei Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They are scheduled to leave the country today.
The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/home_news/2007/10/30/malaysian_ministers_wife_visits_sumbangsih_mulia_sme_complex
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