KUALA LUMPUR: The Rain Rave Water Music Festival is being considered to be developed into a high-impact annual tourism event after its inaugural edition generated an estimated RM392.33mil in economic returns.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the festival attracted about 415,000 visitors with about 150,000 domestic visitors, including those from Sabah and Sarawak.
He said there were about 100,000 tourists from China, Japan, Bangladesh, India, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries.
“Simultaneous events held in six locations namely Terengganu, Melaka, Labuan, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Langkawi attracted about 165,000 visitors and generated an estimated RM71.9mil in economic returns,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Monday.
He was responding to Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun who asked about the success of the festival in terms of visitor turnout, economic impact and tourism promotion, and whether the government planned to hold the festival again next year.
Tiong said based on feedback from the Bukit Bintang-KLCC Tourism Association, the programme delivered significant commercial benefits to businesses in the area.
Lot 10 recorded a 40% increase in footfall and a 45% rise in sales while Sungei Wang Plaza saw visitor numbers grow by 31.3%, accompanied by a surge in sales.
