The Terengganu government through the Tourism Portfolio proposes to implement the Marang Tourism Product 'YouTubing' Program in place of replacing the Squid Candid Carnival that had to be canceled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak.

State Tourism, Culture and Information Technology Committee chairman Ariffin Deraman said the allocation of RM25,000 would guarantee the viability of the tourism industry in Marang after the constraints caused by the Movement Control Order (MCO).

"Among the concepts used to achieve the goal of the 'YouTubing' program, locals shared experiences and activities of daily activities such as fishing and squid fishing through video recordings, dialogues, and scripts for social media.

"The initiative is expected to involve 200 activists and residents of the Marang district.

"This activity will take into account the current guidelines and advice of the authorities during the MCO period," he told.

Also present were Marang District Officer, Tun Ahmad Faisal Tun Abdul Razak, Marang District Council President Mohd Huzairil Nizam Ibrahim, Marang District Police Chief DSP Mohd Zain Mat Dris and Marang District Health Officer Dr Tan Sin Yew.

He added that the program believed to help ease the burden on the affected Marang tourism players.

"With the uniqueness of Marang it can assist the affected tourism sector such as fishing and squid programs, while inland activities such as product sales, performing arts and culture.

"We need to think ahead to come up with ideas that can be adapted throughout this period to assist tourism and local residents with the commitment of complying with all CPP directives.

"This clearly shows the care and diligence of the state government to ensure the welfare of all segments of the community and tourism activists in Marang," he added.

For the record, the Terengganu Squid Candle Carnival is scheduled to take place April 2 to 5 next month.

But it had to be canceled due to the pandemic outbreaks that hit the whole country including Malaysia.