SELAYANG, 7 Nov: Tourism Selangor and the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) are committed to the success of the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 by taking the initiative to promote tourism and recreation places around Selayang.
The Manager of Tourism Selangor, Noorul Ashikin Mohd Din, said that they will seek feedback from the management of tourist areas beforehand to see if there is any need to ensure that the area has potential to attract tourists.
“We will determine the amount after we review and study the needs of a recreation area in order to add facilities to facilitate tourists or visitors who visit the place,” she told Selangor Kini.
She said that they are convinced that the state government would not hesitate to provide allocations, especially in efforts to make Selangor known internationally.
“If the place has real potential to attract visitors from the country and abroad, we are positive that the state government will help,” she added.
Among the focal points for tourism to be promoted are Damai Cave, Tasik Biru Kundang and the Selayang Hot Springs.
Promotional efforts are seen as a positive step to elevate Selangor’s tourism industry to a higher level.
Damai Cave which is located near Batu Caves, is a place for rock climbing enthusiast for a long time.
It first opened in 1998, and this cave is not a rock climbing location, but it is also a location for mountain climbing training.
This cave is ideal for beginners in mountaineering activities because most of the route is not too challenging.
Wira Adventure Consultant Manager, Mustafa Al Bakri Omar, said that he hopes that his efforts to promote this area internationally will receive support and assistance from the Federal and State Governments.
He said that this location has become a focus of an international diving programme each year before the country’s annual Kuala Lumpur Tower climb.
“More recently, mountaineers from 15 countries visited this place for training sessions and I believe if we focus on it, this place can become a major attraction for fans of outdoor activities, the best after Krabi, Thailand,” he said.
Mustafa who is also responsible for managing the Damai Cave Extreme Park, using his own capital to develop the area, said that it is now better after receiving RM1 million in allocations from the Federal Government to provide infrastructure such as parks, toilets, playgrounds and other facilities.
“An allocation of RM50,000 from the state government has also been received for next year. We hope that support from the federal and state governments will continue.
“It is our desire to widen the climbing area and of course, the maintenance will require a high cost, but it will be worth it for a tourist attraction,” he said.