By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, March 16: More heritage events can be held simultaneously with big events to draw more tourists to Kuching Old Bazaar, a destination which possesses a unique cultural heritage.
During the launching of a brand new image for Kuching Old Bazaar today, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said heritage events such as Heritage Treasure Hunts and ‘Old Bazaar On Sales’ can be organised together with large scale events such as Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), What About Kuching (WAK), Kuching Marathon and Sarawak International Dragon Boat Race and Regatta to attract more visitors.
“I hope that one day Kuching Old Bazaar will rival the brand of Singapore’s Chinatown, Penang’s Georgetown and Malacca’s Jonker Street.
“We hope Kuching Old Bazaar will be a refreshing tourism product in Kuching and we should continue to add more events in the coming years,” he said in his speech.
Abdul Karim also highlighted that Chinese heritage events such as the Goddess Paraded by two well known temples here, namely Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple and Hong San Si Temple, located at Kuching Old Bazaar can be promoted to attract more tourists.
He believed Kuching Old Bazaar has the potential to become an attractive tourism spot.
He pointed out that Kuching Old Bazaar, with a brand new image will be an exciting place to be explored by tourists once they return after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Kuching Old Market Community Association president Kapitan Lim Chuan Chan in his speech said the association wants to promote Kuching Old Bazaar as a must-visit destination for visitors and tourists.
He revealed that the association undertook a project to rejuvenate Kuching Old Bazaar with a brand new image over a period of five months.
The project deliverables included a historical book containing the life stories of Kuchingites, four tourism brochures, five promotional videos, 40 information plaques with QR codes, Kuching Old Bazaar website, social media platforms and street arts presentation. — DayakDaily
