MIRI: If you haven’t heard of the Highland Folk Music and Dance Festival, fret not. No one will blame you.
The festival, held for the fifth time, has until now been almost a private affair of Long Bedian, populated by the Kenyah, Kayan and Penan communities, and its surrounding villages.
For a better grip on the remoteness of the event, it is important to note that Long Bedian lies about four hours’ drive away from here on logging tracks.
This year the three-day festival participated by 11 of these nearby villages was launched on April 27.
And Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who officiated at its closing on Saturday made it clear that it could become a big draw, arguably even equal the success of the Siniawan Art and Folklore Music Festival and the Food Festival in Kuching.”
The festival is growing, and I am confident it could become a massive event in the near future as it slowly gaining popularity not only among the locals but also international tourists,” he said.
He also suggested that the name of the festival be re-branded to promote the local community in Long Bedian to outsiders.
“Tourism is a massive industry and that is why I want to see, in the future, that we could organise it on a bigger scale to lure not only locals but tourists from abroad to come to Long Bedian,” he said.
Abdul Karim disclosed that for the first three months of this year tourist arrivals in Sarawak had doubled, with figures showing more than 300,000 tourists coming in each month.
“And half of these figures were international tourists,” he said.
He added that with the consistent focus given by the State government to develop all places of interest in Sarawak, Long Bedian was no exception.
“My ministry is also focusing on boosting tourism activities in the Northern Region of Sarawak, especially areas within the Miri Division, Limbang, Lawas, Mulu and Baram,” he said.
At the event Abdul Karim also announced allocation of RM100,000 to be distributed to SMK Long Bedian’s Parent Teacher Association (RM50,000), Long Bedian JKKK and Long Bedian’s church.
