KOTA KINABALU: Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015, or MyFEST 2015, would help achieve the tourist arrivals target of 2020 under the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan.
“MyFEST 2015 is expected to help Malaysia secure the targeted 29.4 million tourist arrivals and RM89 billion in tourism receipts for 2015. These figures will help achieve the target of 36 million tourist arrivals with RM168 billion in tourism receipts by 2020 under the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan,” he said in his speech delivered by Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming.
On shopping sector which continued to hold the second biggest share of tourist expenditure after the accommodation sector, Masidi said a collaborative effort in organizing Wisma Merdeka 1Malaysia Year-End Sale program was a good initiative in promoting Sabah.
“Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment is fully supportive of the Sabah Tourist Association (STA)’s collaborative effort with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) Sabah and Tourism Malaysia (TM) Sabah in organising Wisma Merdeka 1Malaysia Year-End Sale program.”
“This initiative is a good effort in promoting Sabah as an attractive value for money shopping destination to domestic and international tourists and also help to bring numerous benefits to the local retail sector and boosts tourist expenditure in the country,” he added at the launching of Amazing Quest Wisma Merdeka 2015 held at Wisma Merdeka shopping complex yesterday.
He also said that the quest which had an Amazing Race concept of treasure hunt event was not only a fun-filled event but also put on strong emphasis on the importance of family unit in society with the theme “Family”.
In the event, a team of family consisting of two adults and two children will be working together to solve puzzles and games to get points which will determine the winner of the Amazing Quest.
There were eight traditional games featuring ‘Batu seremban’, ‘Tapak Gajah’, ‘Binsulung’, Blow Pipe and ‘Sumazau’, within three hours competition.
A total of 13 teams participated in the Amazing Quest which was won by a team under the name of Jenner Ronidas comprising 11 people. They brought home RM1,500 cash plus goodie bag worth RM80.
The second runner-up was won by a 13-member team under the name of Nur Ameera Faseeha Ramlee. The received RM1,000 plus goodie bag while the third place prize of RM500 plus goodie bag went to 7-member team of Yeam Shin Yau.
The remaining 10 teams were presented with RM200 cash and goodie bag each.