Malaysia has seen the highest spike of Covid-19 cases over the weekend, with most of the cases being linked to the ‘Tabligh’ gathering at Sri Petaling. Because of this, mass gatherings have been banned and concerts and other large events in the country have been postponed.
However, despite the pandemic outbreak, a fishing competition was held in Port Dickson, where more than 1,500 participants took part in the event. This number does not include onlookers who were at the event as well.
According to Sin Chew Daily, the Tourism Malaysia Surfcasting Tour 2020 was co-organised by Tourism Malaysia and Wakjali Event Management in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2020.
Present at the event was President of Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) Mohd Zamri Mohd Esa and Malaysia Senior Director (Domestic & Events Division) Dato’ Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar.
Dr Ammar said that the competition drew 1,515 participants compared to 1,827 in the previous year and added that the competition was necessary to boost domestic tourism, reported Harian Metro.
“To me this is enough because the country is facing the Covid-19 outbreak. We also have to screen and take safety precautions against this contagious disease,” he said.
“This kind of competition is important to boost domestic tourism as it is the only economic resource that can help the country.”
The winner took home a RM60,000 cash prize, while the second place and third place winners took home RM10,000 and RM5,000 respectively.
Is it really necessary for large events like this to carry on amidst the Covid-19 outbreak in order to boost domestic tourism? Let us know in the comments below.
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