Kabong, which falls under Betong Division, is the site for the annual international kite festival that bears its name.
Colourful kites are being sold at stalls set up along Tanjung Kembang beach, in conjunction with the festival.
KABONG: This year’s Kabong International Kite Festival will be held at Tanjung Kembang beach from March 8 to 12, with about 30 countries participating in the annual event.
Kabong District Office administration assistant Rozalia Rajali said participants from Belgium, Canada, Columbia, New Zealand, Japan and Germany have already committed to participating in this festival.
“We are expecting about 100 participants to join this year’s festival, including kite flyers from various states in Malaysia,” she told Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT) journalists yesterday.
Rozalia shows a promotional material for the kite festival on her mobile phone.
Homestay and chalets around Kabong have already been booked in advance for the participants to stay during the festival.
Organised by Kabong District Office, the international kite festival is listed as one of the programmes in Sarawak’s tourism calendar.
The organiser is expecting the festival to attract more than 10,000 visitors this year compared to 7,000 during last year’s edition.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to declare open the festival on March 10.
In conjunction with the event, local products and exhibition booths, beach sport competitions, bike autoshow, open karaoke competition and nightly activities will be held throughout the festival.
Rozalia, who is also the organising committee secretariat head, shared with BAT journalists that the preparation of the physical infrastructure for the festival has reached 80 per cent while rehearsals for cultural performances are ongoing.
“Besides promoting Tanjung Kembang beach to local and foreign visitors, the festival is organised to act as a catalyst to spur the local economy,” she said, pointing out that such international events will bring in tourism revenue to the local community and help them raise their standard of living.
On another note, Rozalia also revealed that Kabong has been targeted to be a tug-of-war competition ‘hub’, seeing that the competition is held whenever there is a function in the district.
Meanwhile, BAT journalists stopped by the town of Roban during their two-hour journey from Sibu to Kabong on their sixth day of adventure into Sarawak’s rural areas yesterday.
A coffee shop owner who only wished to be identified as Jong said shops in Roban normally close earlier than those in larger towns and cities.
“We normally only open in the morning until noon because after that, there will be very few customers.
“By noon, my customers are mostly parents who are waiting for their children to finish school.
“Once they are gone, I will close for the day,” he said.