KOTA BARU: Kelantan, known for its rustic villages, traditions and beaches, continues to draw local and foreign tourists.
The state recorded 3.4 million visitors between January and October, with 3.14 million locals and 305,048 foreigners.
Due to the high tourist numbers, the state government has planned to allocate RM3.77 million to campaigns and promotional activities next year.
State Unity, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Committee chairman Major (Rtd ) Datuk Md Anizam Abdul Rahman said Kelantan expected 5.5 million tourists in conjunction with Visit Kelantan Year 2020 (VKY2020), themed “Family, Food and Festival”.
He said the state government was confident that it could achieve the target as there were many attractions in the state, such as heritage and historical sites, resorts, as well as traditional delicacies.
“We are confident that more tourists will come next year. We are carrying out programmes and initiatives to ensure this.”
Anizam said visitors could learn about the state’s cultures and traditions, such as kite flying, wayang kulit, songket weaving and batik drawing.
“The state is home to mosques with unique designs, such as Masjid Muhammadi in Kota Baru, Masjid Ar-Rahman in Pulau Gajah and the Sultan Ismail Petra Silver Jubilee Mosque (Beijing Mosque) in Rantau Panjang.
"Eco-tourism fans can visit romantically-named beaches, such as Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Moonlight Beach), Pantai Irama (Beach Of Melody), Pantai Bisikan Bayu (Beach of Whispering Breeze) and Pantai Sri Tujuh.
“There are fishing villages, mountains, rivers, lakes and caves.”
Anizam said tourists could shop at the Siti Khadijah market, Siti Aisyah bazaar, Tok Guru bazaar and floating markets, such as those in Kampung Suri, Tumpat, and Pengkalan Datu.
He said there were dutyfree zones at the Kelantan-Thai border in Rantau Panjang, Pengkalan Kubor and Bukit Bunga.
Anizam said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with media advertising consulting firm Laduni Services and lowcost airline AirAsia to boost promotions in conjunction with VKY2020.
He said under the MoU, Laduni Services and AirAsia would promote Kelantan by displaying the VKY2020 livery on the latter’s aircraft.
Anizam said the livery project would be completed by the end of the month.
He said the two-year campaign would promote the “Kelantan In The Sky” brand across all major destinations in six aviation sectors a day.
He said the taglines “I Love Kelantan” and “Kelantan Di Hati (Kelantan in My Heart)” would also be promoted and that the state also aimed to become a major player in Islamic tourism.