KUCHING: The Sarawak Regatta-Kuching Waterfront Festival 2018, which started on Friday is expected to attract over 10,000 foreign and local visitors every day.
Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said two boat races; the Sarawak Regatta and the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Race, offering RM280,000 worth of prizes would be held.
Apart from the boat races, he said, the Sarawak Kitchen and Entrepreneurship and Malaysia Handicraft Sales would also be held throughout the festival.
“We are expecting the sales from the two events to reach over RM1 million this year,” he told the reporters after the launch held at the Kuching Waterfront here on Saturday.
Over 100 participants, including those from Sabah and the Peninsula, had set up their booths, with various unique art and craft products.
Earlier, the Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Abang Openg launched the event before proceeding to visit the handicraft booth
The Dragon Boat Race, from Oct 26 until 28, has five categories, namely the International Open’s 20 crew, International Open’s 12 crew, International Mixed 12 crew, International Ladies 12 crew, and International Master 12 crew.
Twelve countries are participating in the race, including Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Switzerland, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Macau, Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia (with teams from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak).
The race will see a total of 29 teams taking part with over 900 people vying for a share of the RM45,500 in prizes.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Regatta will kickstart on Nov 2 to 4 with 14 categories, involving 24 qualifying races and 12 finals.
Sarawak Regatta is offering cash prizes of up to RM240,000 while the “Raja Sungai” – which is the highlight of the event, comes with a trophy and RM10,000 cash prize.