Datuk Ang Suee Lim Launch of Kajang tourism campaign. —Low Boon Tat / The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government, through Tourism Selangor, will spend RM500,000 to train at least 50-80 individuals from all districts to become local tour guides in conjunction with the Visit Selangor Year (VSY) 2025.
State local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said the programme, called "Selangor Community Hosts", will prioritise young people and retirees with an interest in tourism.
"The community hosts will bring in tourists and explain to them the diverse history and backgrounds of their places, which will subsequently also boost the local economy.
"Hence, I urge all of you here, especially the youths, to not miss this opportunity to promote your beloved hometowns. If you like to talk, then you should apply for this programme," he said when launching the "Enjoy Kajang" campaign in conjunction with VSY 2025 at Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station on Feb 22.
Also present was Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Chua Yee Ling, who said the programme will focus on enhancing the participants' cultural mapping and storytelling skills.
"The first batch of applications will be open until March, and we are currently focusing on Sabak Bernam and Kuala Selangor first before moving on to other districts as each district has a different context," she added.
During the launching ceremony, Ng also urged all the local councils in Selangor to conduct at least two tourism programmes like Enjoy Kajang, which is an effort by Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj), to support VSY 2025.
"Though called VSY 2025, our efforts to promote tourism will continue until next year in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2026. It is hoped that we can attract 10 million tourists to Selangor next year so that we can contribute to the success of VMY 2026.
"I believe we can achieve this if all the 12 local councils in Selangor could take the initiative to help the state government in promoting tourism," he said.
He also expressed his gratitude towards MPKj for the Enjoy Kajang campaign.
The Enjoy Kajang campaign will serve as a platform to promote tourism on various aspects including eco-tourism, food, theme park as well as culture and heritage in places under MPKj's jurisdiction, according to MPKj president Nazli Taib, who was also present.
He said the campaign will also be extended until next year to support VMY 2026, with several efforts being planned to leverage Kajang's status as a tourism spot.
"As everyone knows, Kajang has its own history and cultural heritage. Hence, MPKj will collaborate with Perbadanan Adat Melayu dan Warisan Negeri Selangor for publications about the history of Kajang and its satay.
"Kajang is known as one of the best places for satays which have their own unique history and taste. It will be raised as one of Selangor's heritage foods this year.
"The council also has plans to revive the 1001 Taste of Kajang Satay Carnival, which is an iconic event for the town, this year," he said.
He emphasised that strategic collaborations between different parties are essential to ensure the objectives of VSY 2025 are achieved.
During the ceremony, Ng, Nazli and Chua also visited the booths set up by satay vendors from Kajang and some other strategic partners.
After that, they went to Stadium Kajang to enjoy performances and lunch by using the MRT Kajang Line.
