By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 2: Kuching will be the host of Malaysia’s first ever International Arts, Handicrafts and Culture Exhibition and Conference (AsiaCraft) next year from Sept 12 to 14 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK).
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan in announcing this, said the AsiaCraft 2023 Expo is expected to attract 5,000 trade buyers, of which 500 will be from overseas.
“Kuching is the perfect venue for this event as it is one of the 57 world craft cities recognised by the World Crafts Council.
“More importantly, Sarawak has a long line of traditional arts, crafts and housewares that resonates with Borneo’s identity,” he said.
Through this expo, it is hoped that Sarawak could gain a bigger slice of the global handicrafts market size which is expected to reach USD 1.252 billion by 2027, exhibiting a growth of 10.41 per cent during the 2022-2027 period.
While AsiaCraft 2023 will be focusing on the business-to-business (B2B) element of the handicrafts industry, Snowdan said the last two days of the expo will be open to public.
“Alongside the expo, there will be an international conference, the Best at Show Awards, live demostrations, business matching sessions and industry talks,” he said during the AsiaCraft 2023 Expo soft launch press conference held at BCCK here today.
Besides the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, event organiser AMB Tarsus Events Group will also be working closely with the Sarawak Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment, Malaysia Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) and other related associations and agencies including the Sarawak Crafts Council and Malaysian Handicraft Development Corpotation.
Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts permanent secretary Datu Hii Chang Kee, BESarawak chief executive officer Amelia Roziman, AMB Tarsus Events Group chairman Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Mohd Nasir Mohd Ashraf, and Tarsus Asia director Andrew Siow were among those present. — DayakDaily
