BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Bigger Picture  >  Earth Matters  >  Borders Are Open! Ecotourism in the New Normal

Borders Are Open! Ecotourism in the New Normal

Andrew Sebastian, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia | Gwenda Gui, Vice President, Sabah Tourist Guides Association

18-Apr-22 15:00

Borders Are Open! Ecotourism in the New Normal

The closure of Malaysia's international borders hit the local tourism industry hard, and almost decimated the ecotourism sector. Now that borders have reopened, we speak to two nature guides and ecotourism operators, Andrew Sebastian, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the  Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia and Gwenda Gui, the Vice President of the Sabah Tourist Guides Association, about how the industry is preparing for the return of more international travellers, the necessary assistance from both state and federal authorities that would be helpful to ecotourism players to rebuild, and what ecotourism in the new normal might look like, for both local and international travellers. 


Image credit: Pexels

Produced by: Juliet Jacobs

Presented by: Juliet Jacobs


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  environmenttravel

Tags:  nature travelwildlife toursGwenda Guinature holidaysnature guidesthe bigger pictureearth mattersecotourismwildlife conservationconservationborders reopeningcovid-19andrew sebastian





Play / Pause

Listen now : Cruise Control: (REPEAT) Are Malaysians switching to EVs at an acceptable rate?...

Today’s Shows



11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT) We catch up with Founder and CEO Henry Ting to unpack how TTRacing has grown since 2024, how its revenue mix and operations have changed, the commercial logic behind its product and market expansion, and how the company is balancing growth with profitability.

12:00 PM

Popcorn Culture

(REPEAT) Stuff We Missed: Memori & Sore + Time Travel Movies

1:00 PM

Cruise Control

(REPEAT) Are Malaysians switching to EVs at an acceptable rate? We unpack where we are in this week's episode.

2:00 PM

Matt-Splained

(REPEAT) On today’s show, Richard and Matt offer up their apologies and outline what you can expect to see at your desk in 2026. From agentic AI bundling up your day, to managerial trends and mentoring.

3:00 PM

Earth Matters

(REPEAT) For this month’s Nature Reads, wildlife researcher Su Mei Toh discusses a range of books, including environmental classics, books on Indigenous knowledge, science writing, and field guides rooted in Malaysia.

4:00 PM

Bar None

(REPEAT) Are our shuttlers playing in too many tournaments in a calendar year? We unpack the issue.

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women who changed paths to design and manufacture their own shoes in their own countries.