Sibu welcomes over 700 delegates to 3rd Southeast Asian Tourist Guide Conference
SIBU, 19 October 2026: Over 700 tourist guides and tourism professionals from Malaysia and across Southeast Asia gathered in Sibu for the 3rd Southeast Asian Tourist Guide Conference 2026, strengthening regional connections and sharing knowledge to support the changing needs of the tourism industry.
Organised by the Sarawak Tourist Guides Association (SkTGA), the conference took place from 13 to 15 October 2026 at Sibu’s Kingwood Hotel, and was officially opened by President of the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council, Jimmy Leong.
The 3-day programme brought together professional learning, networking and cultural exchange, with participants from across Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and other countries in the region. Under the unifying theme of “One Region, Many Stories”, the gathering recognises the role of tourist guides in connecting visitors with the histories, cultures and communities of Southeast Asia.
In his welcoming remarks, Organising Chairman, Edwin Lim described tourist guides as storytellers, cultural ambassadors and frontline representatives whose work shapes how visitors understand, experience and remember a destination. Welcoming international delegates to Sibu, he expressed the hope that they would take home a deeper appreciation of the town and its distinctive cultural identity.
Lim also highlighted changes affecting the profession, including the growth of digital travel platforms and artificial intelligence tools, evolving visitor expectations and a shortage of qualified tourist guides. He emphasised the need for guides to strengthen the qualities that give their work lasting value: personal interaction, cultural interpretation, local knowledge and authentic visitor experiences.
In his opening remarks, Leong encouraged delegates to explore new destination opportunities, build professional networks and continue upgrading their knowledge and skills. He highlighted the participation of more than 60 delegates from Kedah and 40 from Singapore as an encouraging indication of engagement across the industry. He also emphasised that continued professional development is essential to keeping pace with tourism trends and visitor expectations, noting that the value of sharing historical narratives and cultural knowledge to promote Malaysia’s heritage, and expressed the hope that future editions would develop into a cross-border initiative supporting closer regional cooperation.
The conference’s learning programme connects practical guiding skills with broader questions about culture, sustainability and the future of tourism. Ekitha Khemlani’s presentation titled ‘Urban Tour Guiding: Bringing a City’s Story to Life’, focuses on storytelling in the urban visitor experience, while Dr Elena Gregoria Chai’s ‘Beyond Facts: Anthropological Perspectives for Tourist Guiding in Southeast Asia’ introduces an anthropological perspective to interpreting the region’s cultures and communities.
The programme also includes Karen Shepherd’s ‘Tour Guiding on Gastronomy & Creative Industry’, which explores a subject closely connected to local identity and destination experiences, and Dr Robert Charnock’s ‘Sustainable Tourism’ on bringing sustainability into the professional learning agenda.
Julien Collot’s ‘The Tourist Guide of Tomorrow: New Skills for a New Tourism Era’ turns attention to the capabilities guides will need as the industry evolves. Complementing these presentations are workshops and the forum, ‘One Region, Many Stories — The Future of Tourist Guiding in Southeast Asia’, which provide ample opportunities for discussion and the exchange of practical experience.
An outdoor learning programme and cultural exchange activities also gave delegates firsthand exposure to community-based tourism. These activities are designed to deepen their understanding of local traditions, cultural identity and community perspectives, reinforcing the importance of respectful, authentic and sustainable visitor experiences.
For Sibu, the conference provides an opportunity to introduce its cultural character to tourism professionals who help shape how destinations are presented to travellers. By connecting conference learning with experiences in the host destination, the gathering also demonstrates how business events can support knowledge exchange, professional relationships and closer engagement with local communities.
