Legendary artiste Kitaro draws massive crowds

KUCHING: Kitaro, a legendary artiste who has won Grammy and Golden Globe awards, proves to be a major draw with tickets selling out, said Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

The Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts stated that Kitaro’s immense popularity significantly contributed to the impressive ticket sales.

“Kitaro is a Grammy award winner and, I can say that he has got a big following, followers down here,” he said.

He made these remarks to reporters after the closing ceremony of the Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) 2024 at the Sarawak Cultural Village here on Friday (June 28).

Abdul Karim also revealed that ticket sales for this year’s Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) were outstanding, surpassing previous years.

“The ticket sales for this year have surpassed last year’s sales. Actually for today and tomorrow and probably the third day will also be sold out.

“This is a good indication, good indicators and I can see those that are coming in, those who are willing to be part of Rainforest World Music Festival,” he said.

He emphasised that the festival’s organisation is not solely profit-driven but also aims to educate the public about environmental conservation.

“For RWMF, the organisers ensured single-use plastic bottles were not used and encouraged the use of water dispensers.”

“That’s the reason why we bring in young leaders. We want young leaders not just from Sarawak but leaders from all over Southeast Asia to have that feeling that when they go back they become leaders in their own respective countries,” he said.

He further highlighted that educating the public, especially youth, about the importance of conservation is part of their responsibility.

“We do it in festivals like this to educate society because to educate the public it is not something that you can just throw to them,” he said.