Water festivals to promote tourism

RAUB: The Tourism Ministry is studying the possibility of having water festivals in rural areas, focusing on rivers that flow through villages. “Water festivals are usually held in big towns. Now, we want to bring such programmes to small towns. We will let the villagers run them,”minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

“We will train the villagers in tourism promotion and water safety but we will need to consider the suitability of a river, accessibility of the village and whether or not the villages have the awareness to run the programmes,” she said. Some of the activities could include rafting, shopping for local produce and dining, she said.

Speaking to reporters after opening the Raub Water Festival at Kg Batu Malim yesterday, Dr Ng said that infrastructure building must not “overtake” the natural beauty of a rural area. “The ministry will study the development of infrastructure which should not be overly done. It must not affect the surroundings because that is what tourists come for,” she said.

In MALACCA, Dr Ng said the ministry would assist the state to organise an international music festival with heritage as its main inspiration. Taking the cue from the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak, she said Malacca had great potential of organising a similar event to attract music lovers to Malaysia.

“Once we have the date of the event every year, we can list it in the ministry’s annual events calendar,” she told reporters at the inaugural Unesco World Heritage Music Festival held in conjunction with the state’s 3rd anniversary celebration as a World Heritage Site at Jonker Walk on Friday.

-thestar online.