Sarawak achieves RM 346.5 million in secured business events

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Sarawak’s business events sector has achieved remarkable success in the past year, surpassing expectations with a total of 95 secured national and international events. These events have had an estimated economic impact of RM 346.5 million, exceeding the target by an impressive 139%.

Looking ahead to the years 2024 through 2028, Sarawak is poised to welcome more than 42,000 delegates, generating an estimated direct delegate expenditure of RM 188.3 million and contributing RM 20.8 million in tax revenue.

In terms of hosted events, Sarawak hosted a total of 107 business events in the past year, marking a 7% increase compared to 2022. These events collectively had an economic impact of RM 372 million, with over 45,000 delegates contributing RM 202.2 million to the economy and generating RM 22.3 million in tax revenue for Sarawak. These figures represent a substantial 62% increase compared to the previous year.

Speaking at the Board of Directors Appreciation Dinner hosted by BESarawak, The Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts of Sarawak, commended BESarawak and the industry for their outstanding performance. He highlighted that the increase in delegate arrivals and economic impact indicates Sarawak’s return to pre-pandemic vibrancy and reflects the success of their Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030. He encouraged the industry to maintain its pursuit of excellence and expand the business events infrastructure.

One of the event highlights was the recognition of dedicated BESarawak employees with a track record of 5 and 10 years in the bureau: Jason Tan Chin Foo (General Manager for Business Development and Marketing), Cho Chui Chui (Finance Manager), Chin Sin Nee (Senior HR Executive), Erica Ng (Accounting and Finance Executive), and Alex Lidu (Office Assistant and Driver).

Additionally, outgoing board members received recognition for their significant contributions to the business events industry: Datu Dr. Muhammad Abdullah bin Zaidel (Deputy Sarawak State Secretary – Economic Planning and Development), Councillor Clarence Ting Ing Horh (Chairman for Sibu Municipal Council), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hiram Ting Huong Yiew (Associate Professor at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, UCSI University), and Audry Wan Ullok (President of the Sarawak Tourism Federation).

Dato Sri Abang Haji Abdul Karim Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, BESarawak’s Chairman, expressed gratitude for the trust and support of board members, the Sarawak Business Events Fund committee, and key stakeholders. He emphasized their pivotal role in elevating the industry and highlighted the importance of collaboration within the business events community.

Amelia Roziman, BESarawak’s CEO, emphasized that all these achievements align with the ‘Tribe Legacy Sarawak’ campaign, which promotes and facilitates collaborations to deliver substantial value to the industry. She stressed the organization’s commitment to creating opportunities for the industry to contribute to Sarawak’s overall growth with the continued support of the Board of Directors.

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