KL to host inaugural Belt and Road festival in October

KUALA LUMPUR: The city will play host to the inaugural Belt and Road UnityWeek Festival during the Golden Week holiday in China in October.

The festival aims to attract Chinese tourists to Kuala Lumpur during China’s national holiday from Oct 1 to 7, said tourism operator Salcon Xinlian CEO Julius See.

“When Chinese travel in groups with their families, friends or colleagues, it’s a celebration of togetherness.

“We hope this festival will become a crowdpuller like the Songkran Festival in Thailand and the La Tomatina (food fight festival) in Spain,” See told a press conference at the Malaysia Tourism Centre yesterday.

The 8km Belt and Road Unity Run on Oct 1, which will be held in conjunction with the Malaysia Marathon, is one of the festival’s highlights.

See said the organisers hope to attract more than 10,000 participants to the event.

Other events will be held across the city, especially malls in the city centre.

Businesses are encouraged to offer UnityWeek discounts and offers during the festival.

In March next year, Kuala Lumpur will also play host to the inaugural Belt and Road Film Culture Festival.

Among the highlights are the 4th Asia Rainbow TV Awards ceremony, expected to attract some 200 celebrities, producers and directors from around Asia.

See said there would also be a threeday forum for film and television and tourism practitioners to exchange insights and explore potential collaborations.

Salcon Xinlian, a subsidiary of Salcon Bhd, is organising the festival with the support of the Tourism and Culture Ministry, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the China International Cultural and Artistic Centre.

Also at the press conference were ministry deputy secretarygeneral (culture) Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah and the centre’s chairman Zhang Mingzhi.