Festival luring durian fans to KL

Several varieties of durians were showcased at the festival.

A PASSION for durians has boosted travel within Malaysia and to capitalise on this, a two-day event was held to showcase the prickly fruit to tourists in Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysia International Durian & Cultural Fest 2022 (MIDCF) held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil was launched on July 16 by Tourism Malaysia senior director for domestic and events division Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof.

Iskandar says the event would encourage locals and foreigners to visit Kuala Lumpur and indulge in durians.

He said the festival aimed to attract both domestic and foreign tourists to the city so they could indulge in the various types of durians, tropical fruits and food that Malaysia has to offer.

MIDCF was a platform for the event organiser DKing, a durian exporter, to urge the Malaysian government to declare a day to celebrate the popular fruit.

The company is promoting the concept of a “Durian Day”, given that Malaysia is already well- known for its durians.

In a statement, the company said that having “Durian Day” on the tourism calendar would enhance the global appeal of the fruit.

Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA) president Datuk Dr Angie Ng said: “MICA is targeting to increase inbound tourist arrivals so this festival is ideal for this purpose.

“Recent statistics show that least 50% of tourists from China are durian lovers so MIDCF should be held every year to attract them.”

During the event, durian varieties such as XO and D24 were available in addition to other local fruit and kuih.

A cultural fashion show by Miss Malaysia Kebaya and a violin performance by Jessica Loo were part of the entertainment.