Johor Will Capitalise on Sports Tourism By Hosting Major International Events Next Year

Johor is planning to leverage sports tourism as one of the attractions to the state next year with the organisation of several international sports events, including cycling.

Mohd Hairi Mad Shah, the chairman of the state committee for Youth, Sports, Entrepreneurship Development, Cooperatives, and Human Resources, said the Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ) will assist in the effort.

In order to draw visitors from both inside and outside the nation, he stated that they are first planning to host the Tour de Johor and the Johor Bike Festival.

“For that purpose, we have submitted some papers to Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and we welcome sports organisers including international sports event organisers to work with the state government to make the sports tourism initiative a success,” he said.

The state government will also ensure that the local economy receives the benefits of these sports events, he told reporters when met at L’Etape Johor 2023 by the Tour de France.

Also present were state Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman K Raven Kumar and Muse Group Asia (L’Etape Johor 2023 organiser) chief executive officer Riduwan Matni.

On L’Etape Johor 2023, Mohd Hairi said the committee would make it an annual event ‘so that it becomes a symbol of sports tourism in Johor’.

“We will cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to promote sports tourism in Johor and continue to cooperate with the Ministry of Youth and Sports,” he added.

Youth involvement will help ensure the success of sports tourism in the state, according to Johor youth advisor Khairy Jamaluddin, who also expressed his hope that the L’Etape Johor 2023 event will run smoothly and grow into a yearly event that is eagerly anticipated.