Johor wants to become a sports tourism hub
BERNAMA
May 11, 2023
Johor wants to become a sports tourism hub
Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the tournament included L'Etape Johor By Tour De France which entered its second year of organization with a target of 6,000 participants from home and abroad this year. - Facebook photo/Mohd Hairi Mad Shah
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The state government intends to make Johor a sports tourism hub especially after becoming a destination for the organization of several international sports tournaments.
Johor Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Human Resources Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the tournament included L'Etape Johor By Tour De France which entered its second year of organization with a target of 6,000 participants from home and abroad this year.
"The organization of L'Etape Johor will elevate Johor as a sports tourism hub, not only in Malaysia but also in Southeast Asia due to its strategic location and close proximity to Singapore and Indonesia.
"Through the organization of L'Etape, we want participants not only to come here to cycle, but also to experience our culture," he said when launching L'Etape Johor, at the Johor Velodrome, here on Wednesday.
Also present were Deputy Secretary of the Johor State Government (Sports, Youth and Volunteers) Datuk On Jabbar and Johor Tourism Director Suhairi Hashim.
L'Etape Johor is an annual mass cycling event that allows amateur cyclists to race on the same route as the Tour de France stages.
The tournament, which is scheduled to take place on July 8, will involve a race route of 60 kilometers (km) and 140km featuring five categories including individual, team and elite.
Meanwhile, Suhairi said Johor is ready to become the country's sports tourism hub because it has various sports equipment and facilities in addition to receiving various offers to host international level tournaments.
"Within the core of tourism, so far we have tried to focus on sports. If we look at other than motoring, cycling and so on are the focus especially in Johor.
We will get too many participants, especially from foreign countries... in Johor we are already aware of many sports facilities that support this industry," he said.
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