Sabah Tourism Board Wins Two Green and Geopark Excellence Awards of this Year for the Sustainable Tourism Marketing and CSR with Deaf Community Growth

Published on November 24, 2025

Sabah Tourism Board emerged at the front of the Green and Geopark Excellence Awards Gaga 2025, showcasing the state’s growing profile and prominence in sustainable tourism, inclusive marketing, and impactful corporate social responsibility. These awards recognize how Sabah-long known for both its rich biodiversity and cultural heritage-is increasingly being recognized for the way in which it manages and promotes tourism in a more responsible and people-centered manner.

This event was organized by LADA in cooperation with UNESCO, hence the honours had a strong international dimension. Held at the Langkawi International Convention Centre, the event drew government representatives, geopark managers and tourism organizations and sustainability advocates from all over Malaysia and beyond, placing STB’s achievements on centre stage in the regional and global contexts.

Dual Awards Showcase Sabah’s Leadership In Responsible Tourism

At the ceremony, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming presented STB with two major awards the Best Sustainable and Inclusive Marketing Campaign and the Best Corporate CSR Project Award. These twin recognitions signal that Sabah’s tourism strategies are not just visually appealing or commercially successful, but also aligned with wider priorities such as environmental protection, social inclusion and community wellbeing.

In a sector where many destinations still focus primarily on visitor numbers, the awards affirm that Sabah is taking a more balanced approach, where destination branding, visitor experience and local impact are considered together. For policymakers and tourism professionals, this recognition sends a clear message that sustainability and inclusion are now central criteria for measuring excellence, not optional add ons.

Inclusive Marketing That Reflects Sabah’s Diverse Communities

The Best Sustainable and Inclusive Marketing Campaign award highlights how Sabah Tourism Board has been working to ensure that its marketing reflects the diversity of Sabah’s people, landscapes and stories. Instead of only showcasing postcard views of islands, mountains and wildlife, STB’s campaigns increasingly emphasise responsible travel behaviour, respect for local cultures and support for community based tourism. This shift helps reposition Sabah as a place where visitors are encouraged to engage meaningfully with indigenous cultures, rural communities and nature conservation efforts, rather than simply consuming scenic backdrops.

By incorporating inclusive visuals and messages, STB is signalling that different age groups, people with disabilities, local entrepreneurs and community hosts all have a place within the tourism narrative. Such inclusive marketing can influence how tour operators design packages, how hotels develop services and how travellers choose experiences. Over time, this can channel more spending into smaller businesses, homestays, local guides and handicraft producers, helping tourism revenues reach a wider segment of the population.

Lampoopalooza CSR Project Strengthens Communication With Deaf Community

The Best Corporate CSR Project Award specifically recognises the Lampoopalooza initiative, a CSR project that saw Sabah Tourism Board collaborate with the Sabah Society for the Deaf. The focus of Lampoopalooza was to strengthen awareness and communication between tourism frontliners and members of the Deaf community, both as residents and as travellers.

By centering the needs of the Deaf community in a tourism context, Lampoopalooza demonstrates how CSR in tourism can move from symbolic outreach into practical skill building. This kind of initiative makes it easier for Deaf visitors to feel confident navigating the destination, asking for help and accessing experiences that are often taken for granted by hearing travellers. It also reinforces the idea that accessibility is a key pillar of truly sustainable and inclusive tourism.

Why Disability Inclusion Matters For Destination Competitiveness

The focus on the Deaf community under Lampoopalooza is part of a broader conversation about disability inclusion in tourism. As global awareness grows, destinations that invest in accessible communication, infrastructure and services are increasingly seen as more welcoming and forward looking. For Sabah, improving accessibility does not only benefit Deaf travellers it also creates more user friendly systems for older visitors, families with young children and anyone who might need clearer information or alternative ways of interaction.

By taking early steps in this direction, STB is positioning Sabah to respond to the needs of a growing segment of travellers who prioritise inclusive and ethical destinations. This can translate into stronger loyalty, positive word of mouth and a reputation that stands out in a competitive regional market.

UNESCO Backing Adds Global Weight To Sabah’s Achievements

Because the awards are organised with the involvement of UNESCO, the recognition received by Sabah Tourism Board carries additional weight. UNESCO is widely associated with heritage conservation, geoparks, cultural diversity and sustainable development, and awards linked to this network tend to emphasise long term stewardship rather than short term gains.

Being honoured in such a context suggests that Sabah’s direction in tourism is consistent with global principles that value environmental care, respect for local cultures and education through tourism. This can strengthen Sabah’s appeal to international travellers who are increasingly attentive to whether destinations uphold responsible practices behind the scenes, not just in marketing.

Boost For Sabah’s Brand As A Responsible Travel Destination

For tour operators, hotels, guides and local communities in Sabah, the awards provide a strong reputational boost. Many travellers from key markets now actively look for destinations that can demonstrate real efforts in sustainability and social impact, rather than generic claims.

Recognition at the Green and Geopark Excellence Awards 2025 offers tangible proof that Sabah Tourism Board is walking the talk. This can attract partnerships with like minded organisations, encourage the development of more eco friendly tours, community based lodgings and inclusive experiences, and support a shift towards higher value tourism that respects local environments and cultures.

Setting A Framework For Future Inclusive Tourism Initiatives

The Lampoopalooza CSR project and the inclusive marketing strategies that won awards provide a practical framework that can be expanded in the coming years. Building on this foundation, Sabah Tourism Board could further collaborate with organisations representing other groups, such as people with different disabilities, youth networks, indigenous associations and community cooperatives, to co create new tourism programs and training modules.

Such collaborations would continue to mainstream inclusive practices across the state’s tourism industry. For example, frontliners might receive additional guidance on serving guests with mobility challenges, visual impairments or special dietary needs, while marketing content could highlight stories from a broader range of community voices. These steps would deepen Sabah’s identity as a place where tourism benefits are shared fairly, and where visitors of different backgrounds feel truly welcomed.

Long Term Impact On Sabah’s Tourism Development Path

This may mean that, in the longer term, the recognition brought by the Green and Geopark Excellence Awards 2025 could inform the way in which tourism development projects in Sabah are designed and assessed. Where sustainability and inclusion are now clearly linked with success and prestige, there will likely be more emphasis on measuring how new initiatives support local livelihoods, cultural continuity, and environmental safeguards alongside their economic performance.

For Sabah, this means that it can guide its growth as a tourism destination not only by visitor numbers but also by how well it protects its rainforests, coral reefs, and wildlife and how fully it includes communities such as the Deaf in the visitor experience. The state can continue to build a tourism model that is attractive, resilient, and respected both within Malaysia and across the wider region.