Lau (fifth right) presents a memento to Ken, while (from second left) Teresa, Janet and others look on. Dr Yap is at second right.
SIBU: The Rave YMCA Camp here is working towards receiving accreditation from the National Accommodation, Recreation and Tourism Accreditation (Narta) based in Australia to further raise its standards.
YMCA Sibu president Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau noted that the camp will be first in Sarawak to be accredited by Narta if it manages to meet all the required criteria.
“This is a very important development for the YMCA Sibu camp resort because through accreditation, people will have more confidence in the facilities that we provide and the way we manage the camp.
“That will be another milestone as far as the camp here is concerned.
“Most importantly, we will be able to cater to the needs of locals and encourage people from outside Sibu and the country to visit Sibu to enjoy the facilities and conducive environment at our resort – these are things that we are moving towards,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
He added they hoped to make Rave YMCA a highly attractive destination for the people of Sibu and beyond.
He gave his assurance that they would continue to improve the camp’s facilities to attract more people, noting the camp resort was built about 20 years ago by the late Datuk Robert Lau.
For the last two years, YMCA Sibu has engaged a company with vast experience in managing camp resorts to manage the site for them.
Narta representative Ken Pullen, who was there to inspect the camp resort and to assess whether it complies with the required criteria, was also present at the press conference.
“What we want to truly do is to get to know about the organisation, its operations, see its thoughts and to encourage change, if necessary, because what we are looking for is safety, development and sustainability,” said Pullen, who has 32 years of full-time experience in managing camping and outdoor areas.
“This is centre number 326 that I have visited worldwide, and I have been asked about what was my impression, and I said that I like it. I can promise you that among the 326 (centres) – there are some that I have not said that about.”
Others who were present at the press conference included YMCA Sibu’s first vice-president Datuk Janet Lau and secretary Teresa Lau as well as Rave YMCA operations manager Dr Yap Heng Kai.
For the past few months, the team at Rave YMCA has been preparing hard for the assessment which, amongst others, requires proper documentation of processes and practices concerning business registration, insurance, buildings and facilities, health and hygiene, child protection, equipment and activities maintenance, and risk management.