BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Kg Sungai Matan Consultative Council will soon launch its Matan River Cruise at the opening of the vilage’s annual carnival on May 28.

Kg Sungai Matan village head Pg Hj Abdul Rahman Pg Hj Zainal said that the Matan River Cruise will offer local and foreign tourists to board a new fibreglass boat and cruise along the Brunei River passing the Kg Sungai Bunga, the Brunei Museum and Kg Bolkiah.

With a maximum capacity of 15 passengers, the fibreglass boat will offer promotional rates of $5 per person during the five-day carnival. However, he added, after June 1, the rates of the boat cruise will be at $15 to $20 per person.

The new fibreglass boat was recently purchased via grant money which the village won at the 2012 Excellence Village Awards (AKC).

Kg Sungai Matan was one of the two villages that won the Bronze Award at the AKC for its ecotourism products: the Matan Homestay and the Matan Fishing Village.

The village bagged the grant money from the competition worth $30,000.

This year’s Matan Carnival include various programmes that will promote economy, social, culture, sports and education activities among the villagers, public, government agencies and private sector.

The carnival aims to introduce and promote Kg Sungai Matan as one of the tourist attractions in the Sultanate and to boost the fishing village’s tourism activities and economy.

The event will take place in the vicinity of the village head’s house at No 702, Simpang 702, Kg Sungai Matan, Mukim Kota Batu and along the Kg Sungai Matan Bridge.

Scheduled to launch the carnival and the Matan River Cruise is an official from the Ministry of Home Affairs, said a statement issued by the Carnival’s working committee. – Sally Piri

The Brunei Times