Tourism Ministry to review Rainforest festival funding
By JACK WONG

KUCHING: The federal Tourism Ministry has promised to review its reduced funding for the 11th Rainforest World Music Festival, which kicks off at the Sarawak Cultural Village near here on Friday night.

Deputy Minister Datuk Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman said his ministry would look into the allocation for the popular event after organiser Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) voiced its displeasure that the federal funding had been slashed to RM70,000 from RM500,000 last year.

He indicated that the allocation would be adjusted upwards but gave no figure.

Sulaiman was asked about the allocation after officiating the soft launch of musical band Kan'id's album at the festival media centre at Santubong Resort on Friday.

Kan'id is one of the three local groups which perform alongside 14 international musical bands during the three nightly concerts.

STB's chief executive officer Gracie Geikie expressed disappointment with the allocation STB received for the Rainforest Music Festival as the ministry had given RM1.7mil to sponsor the inaugural World Music Festival in Penang last year, and RM1.65mil for the same event this year.

Geikie said the STB was expected to spend RM1.9mil to host this year's festival, up from RM1.6mil last year, due to higher costs to fly in the foreign musical groups and rising food prices and transportation costs.

Asked about the big difference in funding for the two similar music festivals, Sulaiman said the Penang festival was a new event.

He said the ministry's funding was not based on the revenue a tourism event could generate.

Last year's Rainforest Music Festival generated an estimated RM16mil for the tourism industry and benefited the hoteliers, food and transport operators as well as handicraft and souvenir sector.

source : http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...3517&sec=nation


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