Malaysia plans to turn its Forest Research Institute into a tourism educational institute to make the best of its rich forestry resources, a senior official said Sunday.

 

The move could help boost the tourism industry in this tropical country as a lot of tourists would love to go back to nature and learn more about plants as well as trees, said Natural Resource and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid.

 

Azmi made the remarks after accompanying Britain's Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on his tour to the forestry institute.

 

The educational tourism industry could create a lot of job opportunities for graduates especially for those majoring in forestry, said Azmi.

 

"These graduates will be trained to be well-versed on forestry resources before they could share their knowledge with the visitors and tourists," he said.

 

Prescott is on a four-day visit to Malaysia beginning Friday.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2006)