Shopping is usually considered a women’s favourite pastime, but two men came out tops in an eagerly contested shopping challenge held in the state.

Loo Eng Yoong and Koh Hong Leng, both 30, emerged winners in the Shop-A-Hunt competition held in conjunction with the Malaysian Megasale Carnival at AEON Tebrau City recently. “We never imagined that we would stand a chance in the competition

“However it was great when they called out our names,” said Loo when interviewed after collecting his prizes which also included RM2,500 cash. “The first thing we will be doing with the prize money is to call our friends down here for a celebration meal,” he added.

Loo and Kok were among the 38 teams who took part in the competition, which challenged them to solve riddles and hunt down and identify various brands and outlets in the shopping centre. The first prize included the RM2,500 cash, RM500 worth of Jusco vouchers and a domestic holiday package sponsored by the Shopping Malaysia Secretariat, AEON Tebrau City and Malaysia Travel Business.

Sisters Marina and Murhuzai-mati Osman from Kota Tinggi said shopping was their favourite leisure activity and that it was fun to treat shopping almost like a sport.

Chairman of the State Tourism and Environment Committee Freddie Long who gave away the prizes said the government was undertaking efforts to promote Johor as a regional shopping destination. “We believe that shopping in Malaysia offers quality and value, both of in terms of products and the shopping experience at locations such as Tebrau City,” he said during a press conference held after the prize-giving ceremony. .

He said Johor was located strategically to promote shopping tourism with some 23,500 vehicles entering the state from Singapore daily. Shopping Malaysia Secretariat CEO Rosly Selamat said shopping was very much part of Asian tourist culture, not just amongst South-East Asians but also travellers from the Middle-East and India.

“The Malaysian Megasale Car-nival and events like this are part of our goal to establish Malaysia as a shopping destination in the same way people see Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai,” he added.