KUANTAN, The Pahang government is intensifying the promotion of sports tourism in an effort to attract domestic and international tourists to the state. State Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man said that one of the initiatives implemented by her committee through Tourism Pahang was to strengthen the network of cooperation with external agencies involved in order to make various programmes successful. She said the cooperation was seen to be able to promote interesting places in Pahang more widely to local and foreign tourists, for example by organising the Pahang International Ocean Paddling Festival 2024. "This effort can indirectly ensure that the state's tourism industry is always thriving besides being the main tourist attraction destination in Malaysia," she said in a media statement today. The Pahang International Ocean Paddling Festival 2024, which ended today after three days at Cherating Beach, saw eight countries participating in the Canoe Ocean Racing, namely Malaysia, T hailand, South Africa, the United States, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia and Singapore. Meanwhile, Leong said her team saw canoe polo as a great opportunity to promote Pahang as an international sports tourism destination. "By taking advantage of the popularity of this sport among Asian countries, Pahang has the potential to become the main arena that attracts tourists and canoeists from all over the world," she said. Source: BERNAMA News Agency