The new year of 2022 will feature a variety of exciting activities at Kellie’s Castle, a well-known heritage and historical tourism asset of Perak.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), Datuk Seri Dr. Santhara Kumar expressed admiration for the 100-year-old building and will work with the operators to hold some exciting activities there.
“India is famous for the Taj Mahal as a symbol of Sultan Shah Jahan’s love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, but in Perak we have Kellie’s Castle which also symbolizes William Kellie-Smith’s love for his wife, Agnes and his son, Halen.
“MOTAC will work to improve Kellie’s Castle as one of Perak’s tourism products as it has its own unique attractions as well as interesting historical journeys throughout its construction.
“To introduce this building to the younger generation, MOTAC intends to hold various activities for primary and secondary school students. Drawing competitions through various types of techniques are able to unravel the creativity of students. We can start a drawing competition for schools starting from the Batu Gajah district level and then to the state and national level,” he told Ipoh Echo after a work visit to Kellie’s Castle yesterday (December 29).
Also present were Perak MOTAC Director, Asrul Zakaria; Batu Gajah Member of Parliament, V. Sivakumar; Batu Gajah District Council President (YDP), Mohamad Razif Ramli and Kellies Castle General Manager, Zamari Muhyi.
Meanwhile, Santhara also touched on the security aspect, especially regarding the top floor of Kellie’s Castle which is open to visitors coming with families.
“According to the operators, so far there have been no accidents among visitors since Kellie’s Castle opened in 2013. However, I hope the Batu Gajah Council can upgrade the safety aspects such as rebuilding stronger and more durable barriers.
“On the spread of COVID-19 that is still in the community, so far there are no new clusters involving the tourism sector. But what the public needs is to keep adhering to the SOPs to ensure personal and family safety.
“The SOPs set by the Malaysian Security Council thus far are quite effective and it’s apparent that the people have now gotten used to wearing face masks as one of the mandatory practices when in public. I believe the tourism sector will be even better and smoother next year,” he said.
Rosli Mansor
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