Colorful creative kites soar into the sky as Malaysia Tourism Year kicks off

Reported by Chen Ziying / Comprehensive report

The year 2014 was officially designated as “Malaysia Tourism Year” by the Malaysian government, and it comes with a continuous series of celebrations and events. Leading the way is “sports tourism.” Starting in February, the 19th World Kite Festival in Johor and the 2014 Le Tour de Langkawi cycling race will be the first events to warm up the tourism year.


▲ The 2014 Malaysia Tourism Year kicks off with the Johor International Kite Festival (19th World Kite Festival). (Photo / Provided by Tourism Malaysia)

The Johor International Kite Festival, which has been held since 1995, is now in its 19th edition. It will take place from February 19 to 23 in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia. As one of the world’s largest kite events, the festival attracts top kite flyers from around the globe every year. The creatively designed kites add a splash of color to the blue sky.

The process of making kites in Malaysia is quite elaborate. Bamboo that grows facing east is selected, as it is believed to attract the sun god to the kite. The kites come in various shapes, including animals such as fish, eagles, and parrots, but the most famous is the crescent-shaped moon kite. As a result, elaborately crafted and beautifully patterned Malaysian moon kites are often seen at official events in Malaysia.

 
▲ The crescent-shaped “moon kite” is the most popular type locally; a variety of creative kites gather together to add colorful splendor to Malaysia’s skies. (Photo / Provided by Tourism Malaysia)

Additionally, the Le Tour de Langkawi 2014, ranked just below the UCI World Tour, will take place from February 27 to March 8. It is the largest cycling event organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in Asia. This year’s race will consist of 10 stages, covering eight states on both the east and west coasts of the Malay Peninsula, including Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Pahang, Malacca, Johor, Terengganu, and Kelantan, spanning a total distance of 1,507.9 kilometers.


▲ This year’s Le Tour de Langkawi will cross eight states on both the east and west coasts of the Malay Peninsula. (Photo / Provided by Tourism Malaysia)