KUCHING: Travel agencies and airlines should aggressively promote Latin American countries as tourist destinations as these countries have untapped potential for Malaysian travellers, said Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“Malaysians love to travel, but I have noticed they rarely visit Latin America, likely because travel agencies haven’t put enough effort into promoting the region.
“I believe there are lots of beautiful things out there, in those countries,” he said when launching the 22nd Latin American Festival held at Golden Screen Cinema, CityOne Megamall here last night (Nov 28).
Abdul Karim pointed out that while the long-haul flights often exceeding 24 hours would pose challenges, the experiences in countries like Uruguay, Peru, and Colombia make the journey worthwhile.
He urged the travel agencies and airlines from both Malaysia and Latin America to collaborate and enhance promotional efforts.
“When it comes to Sarawakians, most of them will go to Europe, China, Korea, Japan, Turkey, or Australia.
“I have not seen many that go to Latin American countries. I think both sides have to make effort so that when visitations are made, we’ll get to understand each other better,” he added.
On the film festival, Abdul Karim expressed delight that Sarawak was chosen for the first time as a host for the Latin American Film Festival, in which he described it as an opportunity to foster cultural exchange.
“I’m very happy that Latin American countries have considered Kuching for this event. I hope this won’t be the first and last time,” he said.
He believes the festival could attract a local audience eager to learn more about Latin American culture through films.
“We need to study how many fans there are for Latin American movies, but I’m confident there’s great interest,” he added.
The 22nd Latin American Film Festival will run til Dec 1, featuring films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
Screenings during the festival include The Man Who Copied (Brazil) at 7 pm and Death of a Bureaucrat (Cuba) at 9.30 pm on Friday.
On Saturday, Family Album (Uruguay) will be shown at 5.10 pm, followed by My Masterpiece (Argentina) at 7.15 pm.
The festival concludes on Sunday with Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon (Peru) at 4pm and The Colours of the Mountain(Colombia) at 6 pm.
The launch event was attended by Ambassador of Cuba to Malaysia Florentino Batista Gonzalez, Ambassador of Peru Ricardo Morote Canales, Ambassador of Colombia Alejandro Rosselli Londoño, Ambassador of Mexico Luis Javier Campuzano, and Chargée d’Affaires of Uruguay Lourdes Mariela Machado Gonzalez.
