KUCHING, Sept 4: Sarawak is marking another milestone for being chosen to host the prestigious 59th International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Congress 2020 to take place from Oct 31 until Nov 5.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said after successfully hosting the 55th ICCA Congress in 2016, this will make Sarawak the only Asia Pacific destination in ICCA’s congress history to host another of its world congress.
Sarawak had faced competition from the finalist destination which was Seoul in South Korea.
“Sarawak is proud to stand together with such global leaders as we adopt the “ICCA Tribal Legacy” theme for our regional hub programme.
“ICCA’s presence in Sarawak will create a platform to inspire people to use business events as a stimulus, to build legacies and get our respective regional economies thriving,” said Abdul Karim during the 59th ICCA Congress press conference held in Baitul Makmur building in Petra Jaya here, today.
He pointed out that Sarawak is one of the pioneering destinations currently advocating this legacy impact movement, in line with the Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC) which recognises that hosting conventions brings far-reaching value to Sarawak and Malaysia.
According to him, SEAC also recognises that conventions are not just contributing to economies; conventions also drive economies through the long-term legacies they leave behind.
“I am pleased to also share that Sarawak is in the midst of consolidating our preparations for the implementation of our all-new “Tribe Legacy Sarawak” programme which will be adopted from 2021 onwards, providing an immensely ground-breaking take on evaluating the contributions of business events from a Malaysian perspective,” he added.
At the same time, Abdul Karim also congratulated the Team Sarawak, which is led by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) together with the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, ICCA Malaysia Committee, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak and all Sarawak industry partners, for their efforts.
He said the Sarawak government has great trust and confidence that the committee will deliver a quality congress that is engaging and impactful for both the destination and delegates.
“Last but not least, despite the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic, Sarawak will continue our focus on the well-being of our young communities by promoting reading. Our Asia Pacific regional hub’s BookShare corporate social responsibility (CSR) project is reminiscent of the same effort four years ago,” he noted. –DayakDaily.
