By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 24: Sarawak has generated an estimated RM4.95 billion in economic impact from 1,587 business events secured since 2006, underscoring the growing importance of the sector to the State’s tourism and wider economy.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the events had brought more than 500,000 delegates to Sarawak, accounting for 1.9 million delegate days over the past two decades.
“These figures tell a bigger story. They represent 20 years of industry growth, stronger local capability, rising international confidence in Sarawak and the collective effort of the people who built this sector,” he said in his text speech when speaking at the 20th anniversary celebration of Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) here last night (Sept 23).
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, represented Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to officiate the ceremony, which was also attended by Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Operation) Datu Hii Chang Kee, Deputy Minister of Creative Industry and Performing Art Datuk Snowdan Lawan, and BESarawak chief executive officer Jason Tan.
He said Sarawak’s business events industry had evolved significantly since the establishment of the Sarawak Convention Bureau in 2006, with the organisation later renamed BESarawak in 2019 to reflect a broader ambition for the sector.
“The industry’s economic performance has continued to strengthen, with 2025 recording its strongest year, when Sarawak secured 160 business events generating an estimated RM262.8 million in economic impact,” he added.
Abdul Karim said Sarawak’s ambition was now to move beyond measuring the value of business events purely through delegate numbers and economic returns, towards understanding their longer-term impact.
“This is what it means to be the Legacy Capital of Business Events in Malaysia and Borneo. It is more than a positioning. It reflects who we are, what we stand for, and how we intend to lead,” he said.
He said business events could generate value beyond immediate economic returns by creating knowledge, building partnerships, advancing sustainability and delivering lasting benefits to communities and industries.
The approach gained greater prominence following the launch of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 in 2021, which provided business events with an avenue to contribute to Sarawak’s wider development agenda.
Abdul Karim said Sarawak subsequently placed legacy at the heart of its business events model, bringing together government, industry, associations, academia, media and communities.
In 2025, BESarawak launched AI.LEGACY, its Business Events Intelligent Impact Management System, alongside LEGACY360, a platform focused on education, leadership, recognition and collaboration.
“We were no longer looking only at how many events Sarawak hosted, but at what those events changed, who they benefited and what they left behind,” he said.
Abdul Karim said the State’s destination impact report, covering the potential legacies of 10 high-impact conferences and exhibitions, further demonstrated that economic performance and legacy could develop together.
He said Sarawak was now preparing for another step through a new initiative and strategic partnership aimed at using data, insights and collaboration to better measure and utilise the value created by business events.
Sarawak’s international standing in the sector was strengthened early on when it won the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Best Marketing Award in 2008, followed by hosting the 55th ICCA Congress in 2016, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from 60 countries.
Abdul Karim congratulated BESarawak and industry stakeholders on the 20th anniversary, while thanking the State leadership, government agencies and industry partners for their continued support. — DayakDaily
