IPOH: A geopark research centre in Lenggong is in the pipeline to boost Perak tourism, says Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.
The Lenggong MP and Lenggong geo-community committee chairman said the centre would help promote education tourism in the area.
"With the upcoming Visit Perak Year, we want to make sure that our attractions are ready for an influx of tourists.
"For now, we have the geopark gallery which features some of the research carried out in Lenggong," he told reporters after closing the geopark seminar at a hotel here on Friday (Sept 15).
Shamsul Anuar, who is also Deputy Home Minister, said the research centre would also attract researchers to the town, which is also important in terms of archaeology.
"It is hoped that the centre will attract not only tourists but also international researchers to conduct experiments in Lenggong.
"We have more than just Perak Man. There are meteorite impact sites from 1.83 million years ago (in Bukit Bunuh) and volcanic ash deposits (in Bukit Sapi).
"With all these attractions, plus the gallery, we hope we can boost the tourism industry," he added.
About an hour's drive from Ipoh, the Lenggong valley is home to one of the oldest human skeletons and some of Malaysia's oldest archaeological sites.
In 1991, archaeologist Prof Datuk Dr Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid discovered the 74,000-year-old Palaeolithic stone tool site, alongside the world-famous 11,000-year-old Perak Man.
There is a massive boulder that sits outside Kampung Bukit Sapi which is partly covered in volcanic ash. The ash is said to be from a Mount Toba eruption that occurred more than 74,000 years ago.
In July, Tourism Malaysia launched the Lembah Lenggong Archaeotourism and Geopark Packages to promote the historical and natural heritage of the Lenggong Geopark, the second National Geopark in Perak after the Kinta Valley Geopark.
