Yes, you’ve been to Dataran Merdeka, and you’ve taken pictures of your entire gene pool in front of it, but trust us: you’ve never seen the Sultan Abdul Samad building this way before.
As part of the effort to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2014, the iconic KL landmark has been lovingly recreated at the 65th Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan, in the form of a massive ice sculpture.
Malaysia was endorsed by the Hokkaido Government as the main sponsor of this year’s Snow Festival, and was presented with the massive ice sculpture of the Sultan Abdul Samad building.
Malaysian Minister for Tourism and Culture, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was present to accept the work of art on the country’s behalf, thanking the Hokkaido Government for the honour, and the Japan Self Defence Force for crafting the ice replica of the building.
The ice scultpure of the Sultan Abdul Samad building stands 18m high, 28m wide and 20m deep, forming an imposing centerpiece for the festival, which is expected to draw more than 2 million local and international visitors before drawing to a close on February 11.
Datuk Seri Nazri said, “We are truly pleased and honoured to be one of the main sponsors of the 2014 Sapporo Snow Festival and International Ice Sculpture Contest, along with Malaysia Airlines, our national carrier, as the co-sponsor. It goes in line with our aim to raise awareness of Visit Malaysia Year 2014 in the Japanese market and promote various events planned throughout the year.
“Through our participation, we hope to highlight Malaysia’s unique tourism offerings and position the country as a must-visit holiday destination for Japanese tourists.”
Source: The Star Online
