Eastern Region News January 12, 2007 20:40 PM 1,123 Tourists Arrive At Kuantan Port For VMY 2007 KUANTAN, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The arrival of 1,123 tourists on a cruise at the Kuantan Port Friday marked the start of the Pahang's event for the Visit Malaysia Year 2007. The tourists, mostly ex-servicemen and from Australia and several European countries, including the United Kingdom, were given a grand-welcome as they disembarked from the liner, P & O Artimes Maiden. Present to welcome them was Indera Mahkota Member of Parliament Wan Adnan Wan Mamat. One of the tourists, David Pembridge, 40, from England, who had planned to spend the day visiting places of interests at Cherating, Sungai Lembing, the Pahang Handicraft Centre, the "tenun" textile weaving centre at Pekan and the Chini Lake, said he was impressed with the development in Malaysia. "We chose Kuantan as our first destination in Malaysia because of the attractive packages for tourists including sightseeing at the beaches, forests, mountains and islands," he added. The cruise liner's next stop is Thailand. -- BERNAMA