KOTA BARU, Aug 20 — Some locations in Kota Baru have potential to become a national heritage site and a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage Site.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said among the places identified are Masjid Muhammadi, Istana Jahar and Tambatan Diraja here.
He said the matter was discussed during a meeting with Tengku Temenggung Kelantan Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Rizam Tengku Aziz at the Istana Kota Lama here today.
“Those areas have the potential to become a Unesco World Heritage Site although it would take a long period of time.
“A study could be done by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) as it has a specialised faculty for research on the history, art and heritage of this city,” he said.
He said this after a meeting with the state’s Unity, Culture, Heritage and Tourism committee chairman Datuk Md Anizam Abdul Rahman and the tourism industry players in Kelantan at the MOTAC state office in Kampung Kraftangan here.
In a similar development, Muhammad Bakhtiar said Kelantan also has the potential to become a hub in international and domestic tourism for the east coast due to its strategic location.
Muhammad Bakhtiar said this was due to its border with Thailand which could attract more foreign tourists to the country.
“In addition, many tourists make Kelantan as a stopover in their journey to Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu,” he added. — Bernama
