Visit Kenyir Year sets target of one million visitors

KUALA BERANG: One million tourists are being targeted for Visit Kenyir Year 2021.

Central Terengganu Development Authority (Ketengah) chairman Datuk Razali Idris said the agency was confident that the target could be achieved due to a massive promotional campaign currently being done on various media platforms.

“Initially, we only targeted 600,000 tourist arrivals, but seeing the response today (yesterday), we believe that the one million target is realistic and achievable if the infection curve of Covid-19 could be flattened sooner rather than later.

“Kenyir Lake has 340 islands and there are still many that have not been explored for the tourism industry.

“Therefore, Visit Kenyir Year 2021 is the best time for people to come and experience the unique holiday experience here, ” he said yesterday after distributing souvenirs to tourists at the Gawi junction.

The first event that kicked off Visit Kenyir Year was the “Asean Monsoon Casting Tournament” which began yesterday and attracted 140 anglers nationwide with the concept of “catch and release”.

Although the monsoon season was a bleak time for tourism activities in other areas and resort islands, it was a “golden time” for Kenyir Lake as dozens of species of fish could be caught by anglers at the lake, Razali said.

“This is the advantage of Kenyir Lake because the monsoon season will turn it into a ‘paradise’ for anglers. We were made to understand that boathouses are already fully booked throughout this month, ” he said.

Among other attractions at the man-made lake are diversified ecosystems such as limestone caves (Bewah Cave and Taat Cave), waterfalls (Lasir and Saok) and the Gagau Hill at the National Park.

“Several sports-tourism activities are also being offered such as extreme motocross, four-wheel drive and even cycling competitions for those who love physical challenges.

“Not forgetting the local community, many activities have also been lined up, especially for the Kenyir Festival, which will highlight the diverse culture and traditional heritage of the people of Terengganu where, of course, local entrepreneurs will be given space to promote and sell their goods and services, ” he said.

Razali said Ketengah hoped that the Federal Government could expedite the road upgrading project at the lake for the convenience of tourists.

“We hope that it can be expedited so that there will be no more complaints, ” he said, adding that the project would help make Kenyir Lake one of the world’s popular tourist destinations. — Bernama