Kedah to showcase Jerai Range and the Bujang Valley as tourist attractions

ALOR STAR: Kedah plans to showcase the Gunung Jerai Range and the Bujang Valley archaeological site off Sungai Petani as the state's main tourist attractions after Langkawi.
State Tourism committee chairperson Tan Kok Yew said the state plans to unveil a 20-year mainland tourism masterplan with the help of the federal government and the private sector.
And, the centrepiece is the Jerai and Bujang Valley areas where the state is seeking multi-million Ringgit funding to transform the area into the nation's top tourism attractions, Tan told theSun in a recent interview.
"We now know that Langkawi can stand on its own with some federal help so the focus of the state is the mainland. We have identified Jerai and Bujang Valley and we plan to get international accreditation for both areas."
According to Tan, Bujang Valley would spearhead the efforts as historians and archaeologists have found that it is likely the oldest civilisation archaeological site in the South East Asian region; older than Angkor Wat (Cambodia) and the Borobudur Temples in Indonesia.
"Our effort is to now connect the dots to see how Bujang Valley can be linked to Angkor and Borobudur," Tan said.
And once the international recognition comes, the area would likely draw in tourists and investments in terms of hotels and other services, he reckoned.
As for Jerai, Tan said that the state would push for it to be recognised as a geo - park attraction under the Unesco listing; the state's second after Langkawi's Gunung Matchinchang.
Nonetheless, the plans are massive and would require at least 20 years of planning, marketing and installation of the required social amenities before both areas can grow to become top attractions here, he noted.