Sarawak sets sights on greater business events impact
- BT
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
KUCHING, 14 August 2026: Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) recently paid a courtesy visit to the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg to discuss the next phase of Sarawak’s business events growth and strengthen collaboration in support of the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030).
Building on Sarawak’s strong industry foundation and international reputation, discussions focused on the next phase of growth and how business events can create greater value for the destination through economic opportunities, knowledge exchange, industry development, investment and benefits for local communities.
“Sarawak has built a strong international reputation in business events, strengthened by our focus on legacy-driven outcomes. We are now seeing that translate into more events and wider opportunities for local businesses and industries. With the Sarawak Government’s continued support for the industry, we are well positioned to build on this progress, attract bigger opportunities and ensure the benefits extend across more sectors and communities in Sarawak as competition across ASEAN grows,” emphasised Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah during the visit.
The discussion during the visit highlighted infrastructure, venue and accommodation capacity, and air connectivity as important factors in strengthening Sarawak’s ability to attract larger and more diverse international and national business events. The events and tourism industries are also encouraged to explore creative ways for Sarawak’s growing range of venues and facilities to complement one another in supporting conventions, exhibitions, corporate meetings and incentives, performances and other major events.
With Borneo Convention Centre Kuching 2 (BCCK2) in progress and improved air connectivity through AirBorneo, the discussion also highlighted the opportunity for Sarawak to tap into and drive more business events and tourism from across the wider Asia Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Deputy State Secretary (Operation) and Chairman of BESarawak, Datu Hii Chang Kee emphasised the importance of stronger collaboration and coordination to ensure business events contribute to Sarawak’s wider development. “As the industry grows, our role in connecting business events more closely with PCDS 2030 becomes even more important. With a growing pipeline of larger events addressing globally relevant issues across industries, we need to consider how each opportunity can contribute to Sarawak’s broader priorities, whether through investment, talent development, industry growth, knowledge exchange, or international partnerships.”
“This is where stronger coordination becomes essential. Government agencies, industry and institutions need to work together so that when these events come to Sarawak, we are ready to maximise the opportunities and benefits they can create for the destination.”
This direction builds on Sarawak’s growing focus on legacy impact, with business events increasingly used to create long-term benefits through knowledge, innovation and partnerships.
“With the strong support of the Sarawak Government, we are excited about the next phase of growth. We have built significant momentum over the years, and our focus now is to use that momentum strategically by being intentional about the events we pursue, strengthening Sarawak’s business events ecosystem, and creating more value from every opportunity we secure,” said Chief Executive Officer of BESarawak, Jason Tan.
As Sarawak advances towards the goals of PCDS 2030, BESarawak will continue to strengthen the alignment between its business events pipeline and Sarawak’s priority sectors, creating more opportunities to bring knowledge, innovation and partnerships that support Sarawak’s broader development.
