Sepilok Jazz Festival draws nearly 3,000 visitors, boosts Sandakan tourism

SANDAKAN: The recently concluded Sepilok Jazz Festival attracted nearly 3,000 people this year, up from 2,200 last year, as the event continued to boost tourism and business activity in Sandakan, said organiser Alexander Yee.

He said the recently concluded festival had also grown significantly since it was first held in 2022, when it attracted 130 people.

The number of musicians increased from 30 in the early years to 105 this year, with performers from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Italy.

Among them was Malaysian Mandopop singer Shila Amzah, who took a three-day break from her China tour to perform at the fifth Sepilok Jazz Festival at the Rainforest Discovery Centre here.

Yee said Shila, who has made a name in China, was a crowd-puller.

Three performing areas were set up this year to accommodate the growing number of performers - a newly built main stage at the Rainforest Discovery Centre, an air-conditioned hall and a side walkway, Yee said.

He said the festival sold RM110,000 worth of tickets this year but was unable to cover the cost of organising the event due to high expenses.

Despite this, Yee said the festival had boosted the local economy, with most hotels, restaurants and lodges experiencing strong business during the low tourist season in September.

The Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Rainforest Discovery Centre and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, which also serves as a gateway to Libaran Island, also saw busloads of visitors arriving, he said.

The festival was mooted with architect-cum-music director Cheong Kok Ann during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, when they agreed to use music as a platform to raise awareness of the Walai Penyu Conservation Park on Libaran Island.

Moving forward, Yee said they planned to set up 10 houses to qualify under the Malaysian Homestay Experience Programme on Libaran Island, with each costing RM100,000 to construct.

Yee said funds raised would go towards events including Bakat Sepilok Jazz, workshops conducted by their jazz technical adviser Jeremy Monteiro from Singapore, and sea turtle conservation work.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin, who had attended the festival, said Sepilok Jazz not only enriched Sabah's cultural and artistic landscape but also contributed to Sandakan's economy and tourism industry.

"I believe that Sepilok Jazz has tremendous potential to become one of Sabah's important international tourism products," he said.