malaysiangPerak targets the arrival of eight million domestic tourists to the state in conjunction with the Visit Perak Year 2024, said state Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee.
He is optimistic that the target can be achieved in line with its post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery process through the interesting programmes offered at various tourist locations in the state.
“For the past year, we never met the target set despite the recovery… we are still chasing (the target), (but) we are optimistic of achieving this target,” he said when met by Bernama at his office here.
Loh said the state government is also targeting 350,000 foreign tourists to visit Perak in 2024.
He said that in conjunction with the Visit Perak Year 2024, Perak is offering a ‘Rehabilitation and Conservation Tourism’ package aimed at stimulating economic income through tourism and, then, giving back to ecology and environmental rehabilitation.
“This is a new tourism concept not only in Perak but also Malaysia, which is open to tourists from all over the world and which stresses two elements, namely ecological conservation and rehabilitation,” he said.
Elaborating on the ecological conservation element, the Royal Belum State Park is the main promotion because it has preserved the original flora and fauna, including endangered species like the Malayan Tiger.
“There are only about 100 Malayan Tigers still alive. The package offered gives tourists from all over the world the opportunity to venture into the oldest tropical rainforest and also create awareness of ecological protection,” he said.
As for the ecological rehabilitation element, the Kinta Valley and the only remaining Malaysian tin mining dredge, “Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No 5” (TT5), will be introduced to tourists, who will learn about the history of the rise and fall of the tin mining industry in the Kinta Valley.
He said that with the decline of the tin mining industry, the mining ponds have been left abandoned.
As such, the government, through the agencies involved, has used the latest technology and natural elements to actively turn the abandoned mining ponds into green lakes through the planting of various suitable green plants such as aquatic plants and bamboo to speed up the ecological recovery of the abandoned tin mines.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
