PENAMPANG: The state government will implement several important cultural programmes this year to ensure the preservation of the cultural heritage and arts of the local people from generation to generation.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said among these programmes will be the 'Community Development' programme through the Community Cultural Protocol module, which will benefit rural tourism communities and cultural bodies in enhancing world-class cultural tourism management and hospitality.
Hajiji also said among the aims of the projects are to enhance tourism products at the Murut Cultural Center in Tenom and empower the Cultural Pit-Stop (CPS) in Tawau, Kota Belud, Sandakan, Tenom, and three other locations, namely Dataran Wisma Budaya, Ranau, and Keningau.
"These programmes aim to ensure that the inherited treasures can be preserved from generation to generation," he said at the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Sabah State Level Kaamatan Festival at the Hongkod Koisaan KDCA Hall here.
The event was closed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Hajiji said the Kaamatan Festival celebration is highly significant given the state government's efforts to elevate the cultural heritage and arts of the local people.
"We also recognise that the rich cultural traditions within the diversity of ethnicities are an important asset in the tourism sector that will continue to be preserved for future generations to inherit.
"Therefore, the state government strongly supports efforts to develop and preserve the culture and arts of each ethnic group through their respective associations to ensure that this valuable cultural heritage endures," he said.
