By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Feb 27: Sarawak’s “Rentak Kamek Urang” Sape Concert at the Citrawarna Keluarga Malaysia 2022 finale is now listed in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for having largest number of sape players performing at once.
The concert, organised by National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN), saw 257 sape players performing simultaneously at Kuching Waterfront earlier tonight.
State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah witnessed the presentation of the MBOR certificate from MBOR chief operating officer Christopher Wong Hong Wai to Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) deputy secretary general (Culture) Datuk Saraya Arbi.
At a press conference after the concert, Abdul Karim thanked all parties involved for making the four-day Citrawarna event a success.
He said that after two years of facing a decline in number of visitors due to Covid-19 situation, there is progress as the State has recorded a 400 to 500 per cent increase in number of visitors for January and February this year compared to the corresponding period last year.
“Therefore, we expect to achieve 1.2 million visitors into the State this year,” he said, adding that Sarawak used to record an average of 4.5 million visitors per year before the Covid-19 pandemic.
When asked about the State’s revenue from the number of visitors arriving in the State, Abdul Karim said he could not give a specific figure.
“However, the number of visitors into Sarawak has quite a large multiplier effect. From 1.2 million visitors, we believe the State can generate an income of about RM2 billion,” he said.
Abdul Karim also had high hopes that other big events of Sarawak such as Sarawak Regatta, Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), Borneo Jazz Festival (BJF) and Sarawak Spartan Race will take place this year.
“If we cannot hold the events on a large scale, we will do it on a small scale at least so that we can increase the people’s level of confidence that the situation will return back to normal,” he elaborated. — DayakDaily
