Terengganu to turn surfing competition into annual event

MARANG: The Terengganu government plans to turn surfing competition into an annual event during monsoon season, starting next year.

State Tourism, Culture and Information Technology Committee chairman Ariffin Deraman said that the event has the potential to attract tourists as well as further nurture extreme sports among the locals.

"The beach of Pulau Kekabu here is one of the best places (for surfing) in Malaysia. Hence, we plan to organise this sports championship.

"Once COVID-19 has subsided, we will hold a bigger programme next year," he said when visiting the ongoing Terengganu Monsoon Surfing Competition 2020 in Pulau Kekabu, here, yesterday.

In the meantime, Ariffin said that the arrival of tourists to the state is expected to continue to increase following the reinstatement of inter-district and inter-state travel recently.

"As at yesterday (Friday), I was informed that hotels in Kuala Terengganu are all fully booked, including the boat house in Tasik Kenyir, until March next year.

"This shows that, despite the monsoon season in Terengganu, it does not prevent tourists from visiting the state," he said.

Meanwhile, the three-day Terengganu Monsoon Surfing Competition 2020, which started on Thursday, has managed to gather a total of 65 local participants including from Kedah, Johor and Pahang.

-- BERNAMA