Sarawak aims to boost business event sector
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The Malaysian state of Sarawak has launched its biggest ever campaign to attract the business events market, following a sharp rise in the sector in recent years.
According to the Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB), conferences have injected more than MYR504 million (US$117m) into state’s economy since 2006. Following this, the SCB has now official launched “Redefining Global Tribes”, a major new campaign aimed at further expanding the sector’s value and importance.
“This tremendous economic contribution of over half a billion ringgit to Sarawak is due to the work of SCB and its sector partners who have won 697 international, regional and national meetings, translating to almost 254,000 delegates equivalent to 847,000 delegate days in Sarawak,” said Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth & Sports, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“By attempting to redefine an industry and strengthen its branding impact internationally, we have opened Sarawak’s doors wider to the world and are actively showcasing Sarawak’s efficiency and capabilities to host prestigious business events.”
SCB chairman, Dr Muhd Leo Michael Toyad Abdullah, commented; “Beyond the immediate MYR504 million revenue, there is a greater impact derived from business events over the long-term, especially for medicine, technology, science and other advanced industries.”
The Redefining Global Tribes campaigns will aim to increase the state’s international business events sector, by highlighting Sarawak’s “cultural values of community, unity and identity” according to the SCB. It was inspired by the 55th ICCA Congress in Kuching in 2016, which ran under the theme “Gathering of the Global Tribes”.
The campaign was launched with the hosting of a major international fam trip for 100 delegates from national and international associations, academic institutions, corporates and members of the media. Sarawak is also currently hosting the inaugural Tribal Warrior Challenge in Kuching.
Business events delegates have been found to generate more than 5.5 times the expenditure of regular travellers.
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