21st May 2012, Kuala Lumpur - DAZZLING, EXCITING, GLORIOUS,those were the adjectives to describe the excitement experienced by the spectators at the premier cultural extravaganza event last Saturday night at DataranMerdeka.  Colours of 1Malaysia 2012, an annual event organized by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia which has been held since 1999, was presented with different themes and concepts in a glorious atmosphere at the heart of central Kuala Lumpur.

The event was launched by the Minister of Tourism, YAB Dato’ Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen at Dataran Merdeka which started from 5.00 pm until midnight. This year’s event attracted almost 100,000 spectators both local and tourists.

Last weekend’s parade consists of 11 different segments where Sports Tourism debuted its marque. As the home of motorsports, naturally Sepang International Circuit (SIC) was part of this extravagant parade. Having a vibrant red and black float which showcased the Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula 1 car, Malaysian rider Zulfahmi’s AirAsia-SIC-AJO themed KTM RC8 replica bike and the 1 Malaysia Chopper was certainly one of the main attractions throughout the event.

The float represents the two largest international motorsports events hosted in Malaysia which is the Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix and the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. With a 35% pool of tourists during both events signifies the growth for both sports & tourism industry in Malaysia.

KTM RC8 in the livery of AirAsia-SIC-AJO team

A proud Malaysian, Pn Nora Abdullah, couldn’t settle with one word to describe her experience, “It was awesome, glorious and the most colorful affair in KL”, were one the few words that she blurted out after seeing the colorful floats that showcased the tourism attractions in Malaysia. She also mentioned that her family and close friends are one of the biggest fans of motorsports and felt really proud that Sepang Circuit had such a huge float that showcased all the world class championship races held in Malaysia. It gave everyone there an opportunity to closely admire the Formula 1 and MotoGP machines.

Over 7,000 participants, consists of school students, public and private higher education institutions, local cultural organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) took part in the parade themed “Greatest Tourism Parade”. The 1.5 km-long parade routes started from Jalan Raja through Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Isfahan, and ended at JalanTuanku Abdul Rahman. The event was concluded with a rousing Dikir Barat performed by all the participants of the parade, as well as members of the audiences.