Brickfields is food haven

What say you on the issue below?

BRICKFIELDS was recently turned into a food paradise for the tourists and locals for a day when the Tourism Ministry launched the Street Foods Carnival in conjunction with this year’s Fabulous Food 1Malaysia (FF1M) campaign.

There were rows of marquees housing over 50 stalls selling mostly colourful and delectable Indian food along with other local foods for the event.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said food tourism has a great potential to elevate a particular country’s profile through the tourists who travel and sample the the local delicacies and later get a better understanding of the cultures.

She added that it was an important industry to the country and that it had been one of the highest contributors to the economy of the country.

Many choices: Dr Ng looking through a wide variety of Indian sweets at the Street Foods Carnival of FF1M campaign in Brickfields recently.

Based on a research done by the ministry, food and beverages was the third highest component to rake in the tourist-ringgit.

Last year alone the tourism industry generated RM56.5bil in revenue for the country, of which 17.2% or RM9.72bil was spent on food, she said.

Therefore, she said Brickfields, also known as Little India would also contribute greatly to the increase in tourism revenue.

“This is because it is a popular tourism spot that offers a variety of food for tourists from India, Europe and other places.

“The Government acknowledges that Little India is a very important tourist spot and has spent RM35mil to develop the area,” said Dr Ng.

In response to Brickfields Business Community Society (BBCS) president Senator Subramaniam’s pledge for a better traffic management and better roads in the area, Dr Ng said the society should write a letter to the ministry and the local council explaining their concerns.

“From there, we will sit down and talk to the mayor about it to bring about solutions,” she said.

Subramaniam in his speech earlier at the event said the business community in Brickfields was asking for the roads in the area to be improved as traffic was not smooth-flowing and the roads were quite narrow for a packed tourists and shoppers spot.