Eco-tourism pioneer Anthony Wong, who was speaking at an environmental seminar earlier this week, said eco-friendly hotels such as the Frangipani Resort and Spa would buy produce from fishermen and padi farmers who adopted organic padi farming and fish farming.

He said by adopting eco-friendly methods, local businesses would not only benefit from the profits, but would also be able to save costs, for example, in the use of pesticides for the crops.

He said he would work closely with local farmers and fishermen in Langkawi, especially in providing training to implement green methods to produce more organic yields.

“By the end of the year, I am hoping to bring in farmers so that I can teach them. This is a sustainable strategy and will benefit the local farmers and fishermen. At the same time, we are making sure that we are protecting the environment as well.”

Wong has been active in teaching hoteliers to adopt green practices in their businesses.

On another note, Wong said community engagement was important to sustain green efforts.

“For Langkawi, we must engage with the community. We can’t wait for the government; we have to start making efforts on our own.”

Wong said in order to engage with the community, local guides must be involved.

“Local guides are the ambassadors to link hoteliers and the people. Thus, local guides have to be trained to understand the environment well. They can be the advocates of green practices.”

The forum was organised and headed by University Putra Malaysia (UPM) lecturer Yuhanis Abdul Aziz from the faculty of economics and management.

The seminar was attended by Langkawi hoteliers, representatives from the tourism and culture ministry, Langkawi Development Authority (Lada), homestay operators, tour operators and tour guide associations.

Organic farming has gained popularity in Malaysia, partly due to the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (Cetdem) organic farm, which has been operating for 10 years in Sungai Buloh, Kuala Lumpur.