IPOH: The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah officially opened the Hale Street Heritage Gallery at Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Pekan Lama Ipoh, here today.
The gallery, housed in a heritage building, had undergone renovation works for three years and six months. It offers visitors a walk through the history of tin mining in Ipoh from 1900.
The gallery assumes the name of a road, which was originally named after the late British tax collector A Hale, before it was changed to Jalan Tun Sambanthan, to honour the leader who joined the fight for the nation's independence.
Also present at the event were Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and gallery founder, Datuk Sandra Lee.
Earlier in his speech, Ahmad Faizal said the gallery was very important in ensuring everyone understood the legacy of a society and could serve as a guide for development of civilisation.
"Efforts to highlight Perak's heritage values at the Heritage Gallery 22 Hale Street is commendable. With this gallery, tourists can explore the unique heritage elements of Ipoh and the state.
"These efforts are not only important to promote heritage elements among the younger generation, but also to help develop the tourism sector in Ipoh and Perak," he added.
Ahmad Faizal said Ipoh would also feature another attraction, the 'Hop On Hop Off' bus service. The double-storey bus service is expected to add more colour to life in the city, in the first quarter of this year.
He said the state government was also taking the initiative to upgrade the Ipoh Tourism Information Center (ITIC) to boost the quality of services and level of comfort for tourists.
"To maximise the potential of Perak and Ipoh city as the nation's top tourism destination, the state government welcomes the commitment and cooperation of all parties to strengthen effots to preserve local heritage, culture and traditions.
"This is a joint effort, not merely for economic benefit, but more importantly to maintain the heritage and identity of the people of Perak, to be passed on to future generations," he said.
In conjunction with the launch, various interesting events were held since yesterday, including the Sama Sama Pride of Perak (PoP) Bazaar involving 70 vendors.
In addition, there was an idea sharing session to enhance local players' understanding of the tourism sector, cultural night, workshop involving local handicraftsmen, stage performances, and the special appearance of Perak tourism mascot Kopiro.