JOHOR BARU: The Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival has reached a major milestone since its inception over three decades ago after making its way into the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) this year.
The festival got its name into MBOR for the most countries participating in a kite-flying event after receiving some 155 international participants from 56 countries across six continents.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the achievement was a proud moment for the state and hopes it would foster stronger bonds among participants from across the globe.
“This festival is not just about flying kites.
“We believe this is a celebration of friendship, cultural exchange and creativity that brings people together from all corners of the world.
“We are truly honoured and thrilled to host participants from 56 countries across six continents,” he said in his speech during the officiating ceremony of the 28th Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival at Bukit Layang-layang on Saturday night.
This achievement reflects the festival’s global appeal and Johor’s strong commitment to hosting a world-class international event, he added.
The Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival was first organised at Bukit Layang-layang in 1995 and has since become an annual affair here.
However, the event was postponed during the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Malaysian Kite Council president Datuk A. Rahim Nin said the festival’s previous highest record for the number of participating countries was in 2015, when it received entries from 49 countries.
“This is the first time that the kite festival has received participation from people from all six continents, except the uninhabitable Antarctica.
“Among the new participating countries this year are Tunisia and Uruguay,” he said, adding that the festival received the highest number of participants from the European continent.
He said the festival, which was held from Wednesday until yesterday, is expected to attract over 600,000 visitors.
“We have installed cameras with sensors at the entry points of the venue that can automatically track the number of visitors in real time.
“As of Saturday night, we have already received close to 500,000 visitors and I believe we should be able to reach the target,” he said.
