Citrawarna 1Malaysia Off To A Colourful Start

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) - A slight drizzle failed to dampen the spirit of the crowd at the colourful opening of the Citrawarna 1Malaysia 2011 extravaganza at the Dataran Merdeka here Saturday night. Themed "1Malaysia Tourism Festival," the mesmerising event featuring Malaysian music and dance attracted an estimated 100,000 people, including foreign guests. Taking centre stage was Malaysia's unique cultural diversity, with the venue in the heart of the capital having been transformed into a fairyland of lights and colour. Multicoloured fireworks lit the city skyline.

The show was graced by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah. Present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, his wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. The Malaysian premier cultural event, already into its 13th year, was broadcast live over RTM and also beamed to countries like Brunei, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Macau, reaching an estimated TV audience of 25 million viewers.

Malaysia's renowned tourism tagline, "Malaysia Truly Asia", came alive through musical, song and dance performances highlighting six tourism products, namely Parks and Gardens; Sports Tourism; Contemporary Arts; Fabulous Food, Fruits and Shopping; Ecotourism; and 1Malaysia Green 1Malaysia Clean. Spectators were also entertained by ethnic dance performances.

Tourism is one of the largest contributors to the Malaysian economy, generating RM56.5 billion in tourism receipts in 2010 on the back of 24.5 million tourist arrivals. Dr Ng said Malaysia aimed to welcome 36 million tourists with receipts of RM168 billion by year 2020. "To achieve this, we'll continue to be creative and innovative in utilising our nation's resources such as nature, culture and history. "However, the most important ingredient for Malaysia's tourism success is the commitment, dedication and support of all Malaysians," she said in her speech.

Tonight's event was marked by the joyful "Joget 1Malaysia" finale which saw the participation of some 5,000 performers as well as members of the public. A tourism carnival was held earlier today, offering a wide array of domestic tourism packages and the opportunity to savour other Malaysian delights, including mouth-watering local fruits.

-Bernama.