KUALA TERENGGANU, July 12 — The Terengganu state government insists its new Visit Truly Terengganu 2027 logo was carefully created to comply with Islamic principles, identity and design guidelines.

State Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Razali Idris said that while Terengganu now boasts several new landmarks, the turtle remains the state’s enduring icon and has been kept as the logo’s centrepiece. However, he clarified that the symbol has been stylised specifically to meet Shariah standards.

“This is an upgrade from the 2007 design. The old version looked stiff, like a statue. The new one uses vibrant colours and dynamic shapes to suggest motion.

“The turtle is intentionally rendered without full anatomical detail to avoid issues regarding animal imagery in Islam. This logo will appear long-term on everything from apparel to souvenirs.

“Furthermore, in Islam, garments bearing animal figures are not permitted for use during prayer, so we had to adapt,” he told reporters after the Terengganu Classic Festival 2026 closing ceremony at Dataran Shahbandar.

Over 500 classic vehicles, including cars and motorcycles from the 1960s, were showcased at the festival, which drew nearly 10,000 visitors.

Meanwhile, Razali said the state government is optimistic about hitting its target of nine million tourists by year’s end.

He noted that in the first three months of this year alone, Terengganu recorded 2.45 million tourists, including those visiting its resort islands.

“We are currently finalising tourist arrival data for the six-month period, which will be presented in the upcoming state legislative assembly sitting.

“In terms of vehicle entries recorded at toll plazas, over 600,000 vehicles entered in March and April, rising to 829,000 in May, and 608,000 in June. We have our own counting system to derive accurate figures, and the numbers will be reconciled later,” he said. — Bernama