Joniston Bangkuai receiving a souvenir from Sabah Tamparuli OMBAK programme director Stanley Missun.
KOTA KINABALU (July 5): A Sabah tourism expo that will run for the full 24 hours is in the works, and it will feature 48 local tourism operators advertising their respective destinations.
Initiated by the Sabah Tamparuli Bamboo Music Orchestra Association (OMBAK), the event dubbed the “Longest Nonstop Live Broadcasting Tourism Fair” is also an attempt to break the Malaysia Book of Records.
The event is set to run from August 6 to 7, with the closing ceremony scheduled for August 14.
On Tuesday, Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai was briefed on the event and invited to be the guest of honour at the closing event by 13 members of the Sabah Tamparuli OMBAK led by its programme director Stanley Missun.
“The purpose of this programme is to contribute to the state’s effort to stimulate the economic and tourism sectors.
“In addition to that, it is a part of the preparations that the association is doing to present Sabah traditional music and dance to the upcoming international folklore festival in Argentina. We want to create an impact in Sabah first,” Stanley remarked.
According to him, Sabah is the only representation from Malaysia and Asia at the world folklore festival, in which 17 other countries, including Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Panama, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, and Canada, are also participating.
Stanley, who is a local influencer with over two million Facebook followers and over 96,000 TikTok followers, is also expected to receive the International Award for Culture and Performing Arts at the festival.
Joniston, who is also Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister, commended the association for putting in the efforts to promote local tourism operators and raise Sabah’s profile on the international scene.
He was also impressed with the creativity and innovation shown by Stanley and Sabah Tamparuli OMBAK in pursuing positive goals that the state can be proud of.
“Part of our objectives is to raise awareness of Sabah through the involvement of our local people in international festivals. We need to expose our homegrown talents as they are the ambassadors for Sabah and Malaysia.
“I have no doubt that Sabah will become more well-known around the world as a result of this remarkable performance. The Sabah Tourism is always ready to provide the required support and to engage with local influencers,” he said.