7,000 Performers To Participate In Colours Of 1Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- Some 7,000 Malaysians will take part in this year's Colours of 1Malaysia Carnival to be held at Dataran Merdeka on May 19, the largest number of participants since its inception in 1999. Tourism Minister of Malaysia Dr Ng Yen Yen said only a small number of the participants were professional dancers and the rest would be ordinary people including school children, students from higher education institutions, local cultural societies and non-government organizations. She told a press conference here Wednesday that 11 segments would be showcased this year, compared with only six last year. "It includes eco-tourism, homestay, sports tourism, heritage and 1Malaysia Contemporary Art tourism. It is important to note that Colours of 1Malaysia is not a cultural festival but a tourism festival," she said. Ng said about 100,000 local and international spectators are expected to turn up at the carnival which would start at 5.30pm (Malaysia time). About 280 foreign media from 23 countries were also invited to witness the event, including from Sri Lanka, Turkey, Russia, Europe and the United States of America. "From our experience, the foreign tourists were impressed with our Colours of 1Malaysia. So we invited the foreign media to feel the excitement by themselves, and hoping that they would write, broadcast or even blog about it. "So in our part, it is important to promote the "Malaysia Truly Asia" concept at this event," she said. -- BERNAMA