KOTA BARU, MALAYSIA: The Kelantan government is eager to repeat the success of its tourism programme which brought in RM1.6 billion last year. It has come up with various local promotions and programmes, including an international kite festival, go-cart competition, food festival and bird-singing competition, to entertain the 5.8 million tourists expected by December.

Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, in launching the Visit Kelantan Year on Friday, hoped more tourists would visit the state this year.

He said the programmes would be undertaken by the state Tourism Information Centre.

The events will be held in Kota Baru, Tumpat, Bachok and Gua Musang.

"International events such as the go-kart competition and international kite festival, have always been popular with foreigners," he said.

While the local and foreign tourist ratio has been 50:50, he hoped to attract more foreigners, especially from Abu Dhabi, England and New Zealand.

The launching saw the crowds, including a group of foreign journalists, entertained to a 20-minute fireworks display, cultural performances and dikir barat and silat performances.

Also present were state Community Unity, Culture and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Anuar Tan Abdullah, state Tourist Information Centre (TIC) manager Mohd Arif Mohd Nor and state Tourism director Muhammad Zaki Talib.