Colourful kites decorating the blue skies of Pantai Dataran Kembara, Mersing.
JOHOR BARU: The Mersing International Fly Festival (MIFF) is set to be the next big event in the district as part of plans to attract tourists for the upcoming Visit Johor Year 2020.
Mersing district council president Nor Azmi Amir Hamzah said the event had already managed to gather recognition with some 30 international kite flyers taking part in the festival.
“MIFF is a bit different from Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival whereby here we highlight more on the geographical location of the event, namely Pantai Dataran Kembara.
“We see the beach as a perfect location for MIFF because of the strong winds and its location about 3km from the Mersing Jetty and the district council office, which makes it easier for visitors to drop by for the event, ” he said when contacted.
He added for this year, the event, which kicked off on Thursday and runs until Oct 13, included programmes such as DIY kites, arts and cultural performances and sparkling night light attractions.
Nor Azmi said that aside from MIFF, the council was also in talks to organise the first “twoathalon” event dubbed ‘Arong-man’ — named after Gunung Arong in Mersing — and Mersing Monsoon Mountain Bike and Enduro Race.
“Mersing is well-known for its hills, mountains and lush greens so we wanted to take full advantage of nature’s gift and promote the district beyond its island
adventure and famous keropok lekor.
“In 2018, Mersing was the second most visited place by tourists after Johor Baru; I believe that with the right push, we can top the list, ” he said.
The Mersing Monsoon Mountain Bike and Enduro Race is set to launch on Aug 30,2020, in Bukit Papan, while Arong-man is still in its early stages of development.
The state is in the midsts of preparations to welcome visitors for Visit Johor 2020, which will begin in less than three months.
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