LENGGONG, July 30 — The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) through the National Heritage Department today handed over the management of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage Site — Lenggong Valley — to the Perak state government.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said he hoped that the site would be better managed under the leadership of the Perak Menteri Besar and various agencies under the state government administration.
“I will ask the National Heritage Department to discuss with the state government which will manage and act as the ‘World Heritage Office’ for this site to make the necessary arrangements and cooperation.
“In terms of finances, the state government can apply for the necessary allocations to the federal government,” he said when met by reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the Warisan@Lenggong programme in conjunction with the 11th Anniversary of the Lenggong Valley Unesco World Heritage Site as well as a cultural arts festival at Dataran Lenggong here today.
During the ceremony, Tiong presented the Lenggong Valley Unesco World Heritage Site management certificate to Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
He also announced an allocation of RM5 million for the Perak state government to promote Visit Perak Year 2024.
Meanwhile, Saarani in his speech expressed his appreciation and thanks to the Lenggong District Council for striving to ensure that the World Heritage Site continues to be preserved.
“Well done and congratulations to the National Heritage Department, Tourism Perak Management Berhad and all parties who never tire of organising heritage and cultural programmes at the grassroots level,” he said.
Saarani said as Menteri Besar and Kota Tampan assemblyman, he greatly appreciated the continuous efforts of various parties in preserving the Lenggong Valley.
He said with the slogan ‘Promising Perak’, the Visit Perak Year 2024 focused on heritage, gastronomy and eco-tourism to stimulate the state’s economy through the tourism sector and would utilise the returns to restore the state’s ecology and protect the environment.
“The state government, through Tourism Perak, has carried out various tourism promotion activities both locally and abroad to enliven and make Visit Perak Year 2024 a success.
“The variety of tourism products available in Perak including the Lenggong Valley World Heritage Site, which offers archeology tourism products as well as the Lenggong Geopark including the Batu Ring geosite, Telaga Biru and Debu Tasik Toba, will be highlighted to promote and attract more domestic and international tourists to visit the state,” he said. — Bernama
