By Nur Ashikin Louis and Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 12: Sarawak needs additional hotels and convention centres in order to effectively cater to and attract larger-scale conventions and conferences, given the business event sector in the region has exceeded its initial target by an astounding 196 per cent and won all international bids in the year 2022.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah emphasised that without sufficient accommodation and suitable convention centres, Sarawak’s marketing efforts would be in vain.
“There is no point in marketing all over the world trying to bring in conventions and conferences if we do not have adequate infrastructure.
“If the convention centre can only cater for 4,000 to 5,000 people, it becomes challenging to bring in events with delegate numbers exceeding that capacity,” he said when addressing the 10th Anak Sarawak Awards organised by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) at a hotel here tonight.
The Award which celebrates the achievements and unwavering commitment of the business event sector was officiated by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
With that, Abdul Karim said Abang Johari’s plan to establish another convention centre in Kuching signified a proactive step towards meeting the increasing demands of the business events industry.
Investing in adequate infrastructure will ultimately boost Sarawak’s appeal and competitive edge as a destination for a broader range of international events.
Revealing Sarawak’s impressive achievements in the business events sector, Abdul Karim said in the first year of Sarawak’s post-pandemic reopening in 2022, Sarawak successfully hosted 100 business events that resulted in a total economic impact of RM230.3 million.
Delegate expenditure alone accounted for approximately RM125.1 million, while tax revenue reached RM13.8 million. The events also played a significant role in creating 18,275 job opportunities.
In terms of sector distribution, the tourism sector took the lead, hosting 27.9 per cent of the business events, closely followed by the education and human capital sector at 26.9 per cent, and the services sector at 16.8 per cent – all of which are aligned with the Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
“The success does not end here. Sarawak won every international bid last year which contributed to a 100 per cent success rate, an increase of 15.8 per cent in 2020 and 7 per cent in 2021, indicating that we have a strong value proposition that appeals to international business event planners and decision makers.
“This was possible thanks to the commitment and drive of those involved in bidding for international business events, developing homegrown business events and other segments such as corporate meetings and corporate incentives,” he pointed out.
Among those present were Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Sebastian Ting, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development II Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, BESarawak chairman Dato Sri Abang Abdul Karim Tun Openg and BESarawak board of directors’ member Dato Sri Dr Wan Lizozman Wan Omar. — DayakDaily
