In Brief

Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines Organise Food Festival

Tourism Malaysia along with Malaysia Airlines showcased a gourmet festival of Malaysian flavours at Pan Asian Marriott WelcomHotel’ from August 28 to September 10, 2005. The fifteen day festival showcased culinary offerings from the kitchen of the visiting chef, Suresh Muniandy who was specially flown down from Pearl International, Kuala Lumpur for the occasion. The food festival was inaugurated on August 27, 2005 by H E Zulkifly Abdul Rehman, high commissioner for Malaysia as part of the 48th Independence celebrations of Malaysia. The inaugural event also witnessed performances by the Malaysian cultural troupe.

Commenting on the launch of the food festival, Manoharan, director, Tourism Malaysia, India commented, “Indians have started developing a more adventurous approach towards cuisine. Food festivals provide the perfect platform to indulge and savor the delicacies from this multi-cultural tropical paradise. It is an opportunity for those who have visited or are planning to visit the country to relish this diversity of the Malaysian gourmet spread.”

KNTO Highlights Seogwipo Chilsimni Fest

Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO), highlighted the country’s Seogwipo Chilsimni Festival. The festival is held in the first week of September at Jeju Island. The festival focused on the family segment with entertainment events, chorus performances, dances as well as sports events ranging from golf, scuba diving, para sailng to a whole host of other activities designed for the segment. The festival is inaugurated during the fine autumn season in Korea. Apart from the festive attraction, Jeju is the ocean home of the most varied marine life in the world. Another interest site is the Jeju world cup stadium, a piece of modern architecture that symbolises Jeju Island’s traditional culture and nature. The stadium also hosted matches for the biggest event in the global village, namely the FIFA 2002 World Cup. Further, a recommended site is the ‘Cheonjeyeon’ waterfall and gorge that resembles the white celestial robes of seven nymphs, the name literally translating to ‘Pond of the Heaven’s Emperor’. Jeju is an hour long flight from Seoul.