Revamping night market scene in Miri

THE plan to turn Miri into a resort city has been on-going since 1994, when a massive publicity campaign was launched with the tagline, ‘Miri Resort City’.

The initial goal was to prepare the ‘Oil Town’ in attaining city status by 2005.

The campaign had banked on Miri being closely associated with tourism-related features.

Over the span of nearly three decades, Miri has grown into a beautiful, peaceful and green city, so at a glance, the campaign seems to have been working.

Yet, many visitors complain about the city lacking the night-life attraction.

Possibly, this stems from the fact that most eateries, family-friendly shops and shopping malls in Miri close at 10pm.

That said, there are entertainment outlets that have extended opening hours.

‘Night markets in the old days’

Back in the 1970s up until the early 90s, night markets were very popular in Miri, with the first known ones located at Jalan Brooke, Jalan Entiba and Jalan Regia, which were patronised by locals and also tourists from neighbouring Brunei.

“I managed to get the trader’s licence for night market from the Miri Municipal Council (predecessor of present-day Miri City Council, or MCC) in the 1980s.

“We set up everything and it was ready by early 1981. A year before that, there were many night market traders doing business at the back alley of the Miri Open Air Market, without proper licensing. After the municipal council restructured the business model, we were told to set up business at the front of the market (at Jalan Brooke).

“It was a good start for Miri’s night market scene, and it was also how my retailing business took off,” said local businessman Lai Chin.

The business hours, he said, would start at 4pm – sometimes at 3.30pm, if the streets cleared out early.

Majority of the traders prepared their own tables, portable display cabinets and other equipment. Closing time would be around 11pm, where they would have everything packed and cleaned up, ensuring that the trading lots would be up and ready for the morning business, he added.

“At the time, most of the items offered by the traders were clothes and accessories, jewellery pieces, toiletries, kitchen utensils and many other non-edible stuff. Back then, there were only one or two food traders, because selling food would require special requirements; thus, it was easier to sell non-edible goods.

“The ambiance of the night market then could be likened to our modern hypermarkets and shopping malls – minus the air-conditioning.

“The business was so good back in those days, so good that many a time, we were ‘forced’ to extend trading hours up till midnight,” Lai recalled, pointing out that the technology then was not as advanced as today.

“Actually, people socialised more by going out, and the night markets were among the best ways to do that. Children and adults, they all enjoyed the outing to the night markets.”

Lai said due to matters pertaining to locality, the traders were later relocated to Tamu Muhibbah in 1985, which had just completed. The business hours remained the same, he remembered, and so was the crowd.

“More than 40 years later, however, things have changed – the night market scene now is no longer as popular among Mirians as it was back then; probably because the spending habits of the local community have changed,” observed Lai.

He also noticed that the supply-and-demand dynamics had changed as well.

“We have big and small shops selling everything under one roof. Online shopping is also part of the new consumerism.

“The night markets that we have now mostly sell cooked food, while there are still some selling vegetables, fruits and clothing,” he said.

‘Changes’ 

The MCC Market, Traders and Hawkers Standing Committee chairman Councillor Dr Vincent Huang said the city council had attempted to establish a new night market in Miri three times, but this plan had been met with different challenges each time.

“The Chinese New Year Bazaar, food carnivals, and fun fairs that happen once a year are called seasonal events with specific themes; the morning and Sunday market have their own targeted customers.

“A night market is ‘more recreational’, set at a fixed location with fixed business hours; it should offer a completely different experience.

“Should we ever wonder whether or not the night market culture is dying, there are so many successful night markets in other parts of the country, the nearest one being the Sibu Night Market where the majority of the visitors are the locals.

“There are those in Kuching, in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as in Thailand and Taiwan, that are so successful they are now tagged as tourist attractions.

“I’d say Medan Saberkas is currently Miri’s top tourism attraction. It started as a night market with only a handful of traders; now, it houses over 200 traders.

“Business hours are in the evening.

“At first, it opened three days a week, and later four days, and now, it is open daily. It now has a permanent structure, as well as water and electricity supply facilitated by the council for the traders’ convenience and also to ensure food safety for consumers,” Huang told thesundaypost.

He said between 2018 and last year, the MCC had surveyed various locations to establish a new night market scene in its attempt to make Miri’s nightlife more vibrant.

However, this effort faced many obstacles like lack of visitors and complaints about various issues related to the products sold, the placement of stalls, and traders’ requests for permanent utilities.

“The standing committee is still not giving up,” said Huang.

“Significant studies have been carried out and now, the setting-up is in the works.

“I just hope this time, it would work out.”

According to Huang, there are more than 20 traders from within, around and outside the city who are selling produce in the evening at a parking bay of a commercial centre.

“Our intention is simple – to provide a proper place to those working hard to make a living.

“By giving them temporary licensing to operate at a night market, paying as little as few ringgit per day, they need not worry about any legality issue.

“At the same time, I believe that this can make Miri’s nightlife scene more vibrant.”

‘Time is of the essence’

Former night market trader Wong Loi Yu opined that while Miri’s booming economy had been largely attributed to the oil and gas (O&G) industry, it was also crucial to really look into it getting another boost.

The 84-year-old was in the night market business around the same time as Lai’s – the two have known each other for decades.

Wong set up his trade in the early 80s, and kept it running until he decided to retire in 2019 – a year before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

Even then, he could already see the decline in business before his retirement.

“Due to the change in the spending patterns of the local community, I shifted the opening hours to daytime, as the market would get really dark after 7pm and thus, no customers.

“It’s sad to see such change, but I have accepted it as the reality of Miri.

“I witnessed Miri’s economy being at its peak, and how it prospered into becoming what it is today.

“The last decade, however, has been quite challenging. I do hope that Miri could prosper further, as we are still recovering from the pandemic,” he said.

‘A need for better management’

According to Prof Andreas H Zins, Miri lacks the vibrancy as a resort city, and in this regard, its tourism potential should focus more on better management.

“I had friends coming on a late night flight, and we had trouble finding any proper place for late night snacks, after 10pm. It’s the same in most places like the Times Square or other commercial centres,” the Regenerative Living Lab for Sustainable Tourism director told the writer.

Prof Zins, who had undertaken research work and written articles about tourism in Miri, found it ‘appalling’ that the city, despite having so much to offer, had not been ‘properly promoted’.

In his article previously published on The Borneo Post, ‘The Dawn of a New Era: Introducing Destination Management Organisations in Miri (Part 1)’, the professor stated that although Miri had been receiving a steady stream of domestic tourists, it lacked the coordinated marketing strategy to fully tap into the international tourism market.

In that write-up, he highlighted the ‘Sarawak Visitor Structure Model 2019’ that he developed, which had reported that in 2019, 3.1 million overnight travellers and 4.8 million day-trippers had entered Miri, and only about 10 per cent of them did so for business purposes – the rest came to city for leisure.

The value generated by the day-trippers accounted for about one quarter of the RM4.25 billion revenue for 2019, he wrote in the article.

“Miri’s natural beauty is often seen as a major draw for tourists – the Niah Caves, Mulu National Park, the waterfalls, and such rich biodiversity.

“After all the adventurous trails, however, the tourists would also want to go to the ‘city trails’, anticipating Miri’s gastronomic experience and the cultural diversity of the people.

“Any effort by the council or any relevant agency may need to be propelled with suitable strategies to enhance the city’s vibrancy, allowing visitors to enjoy a better experience while here.”

According to Prof Zins, unlike European countries, the experience of visiting Asian countries is usually highlighted by the night market culture – ‘it is the essence of a place – a melting pot of people, culture and food delicacies’.

“Therefore, instead of keep coming up with new proposals to push for more attractions, I’d say Miri already has the essential elements in place; what remains to be done is ‘some good polishing for it to turn into a true tourism gem’.

“With the revenue generated in and by Miri, it deserves the funding from the federal and state governments to push its tourism and economy further,” said the academician.