Make it great, Regent says as Visit Pahang Year takes off

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A grand show: Pahang traditional dancers performing during the declaration of Visit Pahang Year 2017 by Tengku Abdullah in Kuantan.

KUANTAN: Visit Pahang Year 2017 has been declared with great fanfare by Pahang Regent Tengku Mahkota Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

In his speech, Tengku Abdullah called on all parties to play their part in promoting Pahang on the domestic and international stages.

“I want to remind the state go­vernment and its collaborators in the private sector to give the appropriate promotion and also make future plans for tourism, seeing that the East Coast Rail Line is going to run through our state.

“Make sure infrastructure like hotels, homestays and toilets are also managed properly. We do not want tourist spots to become a hotbed of diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis,” he said during the ceremony on Friday night.

In a short teleconferencing call with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak later, Tengku Abdullah asked when Najib was going to visit Pahang as he wanted to treat him to ikan patin masak tempoyak (silver catfish cooked in fermented durian).

Najib, in reply, said he would not visit Pahang but instead “return to Pahang” as he was from the state.

Najib expressed optimism that the target of 15 million tourist arri­vals in Pahang could be achieved while saying that the Government would always give priority to the tourism sector as it provided a large revenue for the country.

The people of Pahang also received congratulations and a show of support from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in pre-recorded videos.

Also present at the event were Tengku Puan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, Tengku Muda Pahang Tengku Abdul Rahman and Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.

The rain did not deter thousands of people from turning up to witness the declaration.

They were treated to a cultural show featuring dances from the 11 districts of Pahang, fireworks display as well as performances by local artistes.