PAPAR: July 10, 2026 — A total of 33 staff members of the Borneo Cultural Village (BCV) have successfully completed a 28-day Mandarin Language Course aimed at enhancing their communication skills with tourists from China, one of the primary visitor groups to the cultural attraction.
The programme, fully sponsored by the Sabah Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (KPSTI), was conducted in collaboration with AMC University College and held on-site at the Borneo Cultural Village.
According to the ministry, the initiative seeks to strengthen the service quality of BCV personnel by equipping them with practical language skills, including basic conversational Mandarin, listening comprehension, and the use of daily phrases relevant to the tourism and hospitality sectors.
The course targeted participants aged between 18 and 45, with a focus on empowering local talent to be more competitive in the international tourism landscape. It also underscores KPSTI’s commitment to high-impact human capital development through specialised training.
Notably, the majority of the participants are locals from villages surrounding Papar and nearby areas adjacent to the Borneo Cultural Village, reflecting the community’s proactive engagement in upgrading their professional competencies.
“Through this intensive training, we expect our staff to master practical Mandarin that will allow them to deliver more welcoming, professional, and high-quality experiences to our international visitors. This initiative is a crucial step in further strengthening Sabah’s tourism sector,” a KPSTI official said in a statement.
The 28-day programme is part of the state government’s broader agenda to boost the tourism industry by improving language proficiency and communication capabilities among its frontline workforce.
