By William Isau
SIBU, Aug 11: The Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, wants Sibu to organise a grand food and cultural festival to promote domestic tourism.
Taking the example of the Kuching Festival Food Fair, he said it has been successful in attracting domestic and international visitors to enjoy authentic cuisine.
“Therefore, I hope that Sibu will also be able to host such a grand food and cultural festival in the future, extending the duration to more than ten days, or even up to a month,” he said at the opening of the Chinese Pavilion of the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) last night (Aug 10), which takes place from August 8 to 17.
The Bintulu MP also called on the State to explore ways to attract more domestic and international tourists.
“This involves developing more tourism packages and attractions, including improving infrastructure, planning tourism calendar events, and so on,” he said
Tiong praised the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) for introducing the ‘Clouded Leopard’ as the BCF mascot, which also aims to raise awareness of endangered wildlife conservation and reflect Sarawak’s unique advantage of being rich in natural resources.
“Borneo is a vibrant land, and Sarawak is home to many rare and exotic animals and natural wonders that cannot be found elsewhere. We also have unique local products such as ‘dabai’ and bird’s nests.
“These resources can be used to create tourism products specific to Sarawak, especially highlighting Sibu’s characteristics, thereby promoting local economic growth,” he said.
In terms of historical civilisation, Tiong said Sarawak is proud to have two UNESCO World Heritage sites: Gunung Mulu National Park and the newly listed Niah National Park, reflecting Sarawak’s achievements in cultural and natural conservation.
At the function, Tiong also announced an allocation of RM500,000 to the Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations (SFCA). — DayakDaily
