State Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Human Resources Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah (second from right) flagging off the contestants of L’Etape Johor 2023 at Desaru Coast. With him is Kota Tinggi District Officer Datin Paduka Hazlina Jalil (right).
KOTA TINGGI: Johor is planning to leverage on sports tourism as one of the attractions to the state next year with the organisation of several international sports events including cycling.
State Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Human Resources Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the effort would involve the cooperation of the Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ).
For a start, he said they are planning to host the Tour de Johor and the Johor Bike Festival, to attract tourists from both within and outside the country.
"For that purpose, we have submitted some papers to Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and we welcome sports organisers including international sports event organisers to work with the state government to make the sports tourism initiative a success," he said.
The state government would also ensure that the local economy receives the benefits of these sports events, he told reporters when met at L'Etape Johor 2023 by Tour de France on Saturday (July 8).
Also present were State Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman K Raven Kumar and Muse Group Asia (L'Etape Johor 2023 organiser) chief executive officer Riduwan Matni.
On L'Etape Johor 2023, Mohd Hairi said the committee would make it an annual event "so that it becomes a symbol of sports tourism in Johor".
"We will cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to promote sports tourism in Johor and continue to cooperate with the Ministry of Youth and Sports," he added.
Meanwhile, Johor youth advisor Khairy Jamaluddin said he would help to ensure the success of sports tourism in the state by involving youths, adding that he hoped the L’Etape Johor 2023 event would run smoothly and become a highly anticipated event every year. - Bernama
