Deadline: 30-Jun-2025
The United Nations Development Programme in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam are inviting qualified organisations to submit Concept Proposals for the Sustainable Tourism Recovery Project.
This project aims to support destination communities and MSME businesses in building resilience to the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it seeks to facilitate the transition to environmentally sustainable and inclusive tourism, in alignment with Malaysia’s National Ecotourism Plan (2016-2025) and the National Tourism Policy (2020-2030).
This initiative focuses on addressing both internal and external challenges faced by the tourism sector in four key regions of Malaysia, Mersing (Johor); Jerantut (Pahang), and Jeli (Kelantan). The project will engage local communities and businesses to enhance tourism practices that are resilient, sustainable and community driven.
Funding Information
- The proposed project budget shall not exceed USD 150,000 (or its equivalent in Ringgit Malaysia). All grants will be awarded in Ringgit Malaysia.
- Duration: The duration of each grant project may vary between 6 to 9 months. All project activities must be completed no later than June 2026.
Eligible Activities
- Projects may focus on one or a combination of the following seven Sustainable Tourism activities:
- Assessing ecotourism carrying capacity assessment (ETCCA) in community-based learning village and/or project-specific protected or natural areas.
- Development of raising awareness materials and activities to support the ecotourism resources’ centres (e.g., raising awareness on opportunities from the natural environment)
- Development of ecotourism destinations, called community-based learning village, through a value chain approach in each of the three selected ecotourism project areas.
- Study tour for local communities involved to discover best practices in Malaysia.
- Destination branding including the establishment of forward linkages with inbound tour operators.
- As tourism activities increase, natural resources are strongly affected by human behavior (visitors and professionals), especially when there is a gap between tourism planning (national policies and strategies for sustainable tourism development including NEP) and implementation.
- Gather evidence on the key issues in the district (e.g. waste generation, traffic congestion) hindering the development of sustainable tourism with one of the aims of drafting guidelines for the adoption of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) practices in the tourism industry.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Sustainable Tourism grants are available exclusively to the following locally registered, non-government institutions operating in the designated project sites:
- Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
- Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)
- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
- Social Enterprises; or enterprises with clear social impact
- Research Institutions
- Only organisations that fall within the above categories and are actively operating in the designated sites are eligible to apply.
- Capacity and Experience:
- Eligible organisations must demonstrate strong organisational capacity to implement Sustainable Tourism projects and meet all grant requirements.
- Preference will be given to organisations that currently operate in the designated project sites and have ongoing activities within those areas.
Application Requirements
- Applicants must submit a copy of their organisation certificate of registration along with the application.
- Organisations must also have a locally registered bank account.
- Proof of active operation at the designated locations(report or past (2024 or earlier) social
- media post is accepted)
- Applications must be submitted using the Sustainable Tourism templates issued by UNDP Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.
- Any applications using other templates will not be considered.
For more information, visit UNDP.