Tribe Legacy Sarawak campaign delivers record-breaking results

KUCHING, 12 January 2026 – It's been quite a journey for Sarawak's business events sector. Today, the Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign that started back in 2020 has delivered the strongest results in the State's history, and has transformed Sarawak into what many now recognise as a  Legacy Capital of business events in both Malaysia and Borneo.

At BESarawak’s Board of Directors Appreciation Dinner held recently, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah announced that 2025 represented the best performance in Sarawak’s business events history.

“We have reshaped how the world looks at Sarawak from a once overlooked destination into the legacy capital of business events in Malaysia and Borneo. It is a powerful journey of vision, perseverance, and partnership, and one that we proudly celebrate as we mark our 20th anniversary this year. This is the result of a united ecosystem working with shared purpose,” he said in his speech.

In his speech at BESarawak’s Board of Directors Appreciation Dinner held recently, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah announced that 2025 represented the best performance in Sarawak’s business events history.

Sarawak secured 160 business events last year, well above its target of 140 to hit 115%. These events, scheduled to run between 2025 and 2030, are expected to generate RM483.5 million in total economic impact, with RM262.8 million coming directly from delegate spending. They'll also pump RM29 million into tax revenue and support more than 38,000 jobs over 177,453 delegate days.

On the hosting front, Sarawak delivered 159 business events in 2025. That's 27% more than the previous year. These events brought nearly 60,000 delegates to Sarawak and generated RM491.4 million in total economic impact, including RM267 million in direct delegate spending, RM29.5 million in tax revenue, and support for almost 39,000 jobs.

Among the major events secured are the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference 2025, the Asian Congress on Occupational Health 2026, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Triennial General Assembly 2026, and the International Council on Archives (ICA) Conference 2027. In fact, Karim himself received the handover flag for the ICA Conference in Barcelona.

What's especially impressive is Sarawak's perfect record of 100% bid success rate maintained since 2022. Event organisers clearly agree with this approach, with all of them saying they would recommend Sarawak as a business events destination.

Meanwhile, 54% of all delegates who came to Sarawak in 2025 extended their stays to explore the region before or after their events. That’s an extra 21,330 days and RM920.5 million flowing into the local tourism economy, with most visitors staying three to four days and filling 7,497 room nights. This means that besides coming for their conferences and leaving, delegates were also discovering what Sarawak had to offer and spending money in local communities along the way.

While other destinations focus mainly on visitor numbers and immediate economic returns, Sarawak is measuring the legacy these events create. In January 2025, BESarawak launched AI.LEGACY, which became the world’s first AI-driven system to measure, monitor and report legacy impact from business events. Out of 166 legacy-focused events secured in 2025, 60 were selected for a pilot measurement programme, with 10 events from 2022 to 2024 already validated.

The results show business events are strongest at creating social legacies, with top focus areas being services, tourism and manufacturing. The findings also align with UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially Quality Education (Goal 4), Good Health and Well-being (Goal 3), and Partnerships for the Goals (Goal 17). These events are helping build a better educated, healthier, more connected Sarawak.

Thirteen major events secured in 2025, including everything from hydrogen and carbon markets to digital economy, healthcare, literacy, aerospace, and various other sectors, have joined the legacy initiative, thereby directly supporting Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 priorities.

BUILDING PLATFORMS FOR THE ECOSYSTEM

Sarawak has been busy building the infrastructure to strengthen its entire business events ecosystem. LEGACY360, Malaysia's first platform dedicated to legacy advocacy, education and recognition, ran a successful programme with 16 speakers and close to 300 delegates from six countries. The event attracted members from international associations like the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), and Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH).

Meanwhile, the inaugural Borneo Inspires Legacy Awards received 52 submissions and honoured seven winners championing legacy impact at the grassroots level, while the Legacy Event Advocacy Policy (LEAP) Summit brought together 36 policymakers and industry leaders, resulting in the Borneo Legacy Declaration. Sarawak became the first government to officially adopt it during the Sarawak Business Events Forum, with the Business Events Sarawak Alliance serving as the first implementation milestone.

International recognition then followed. ICCA presented Sarawak with its Award of Appreciation. BESarawak CEO, Amelia Roziman received The Iceberg Excellence Award and made history as the first Asian appointed to The Iceberg's Board of Trustees. Also, Karim became the first Minister from Asia to speak at the ICCA Congress on government collaboration.

“We are incredibly proud of how Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign has mobilised the entire ecosystem. This campaign proves that when government, industry and communities align around shared purpose, business events become powerful platforms for national transformation and global contribution,” Amelia commented on these achievements.

THE ROAD TO 2030

As impressive as 2025 was, the focus now shifts to the period from 2026 to 2030, which represents the final stretch of PCDS 2030, guided by Sarawak's 13th Malaysia Plan. Chairman of BESarawak, Datu Hii Chang Kee spoke of the new the direction in his speech during the dinner.

“The last five years focused on building the legacy ecosystem and developing the Legacy Impact Master Action Plan. Our next phase will deepen data intelligence, digitalisation, partnerships and talent development,” he said, adding that this ensured Sarawak remained globally competitive while delivering sustainable value for our people.

The strategy rests on three pillars, namely Transformation and Innovation (leveraging technology and data), Governance and Policy (making legacy impact the defining DNA of every event), and Partnerships and People (strengthening regional collaboration and professional development). By 2030, the goal is to achieve complete ecosystem digitalisation with comprehensive datasets that support every decision.

In emphasising what's at stake, Karim said: “We must sustain this strong spirit of teamwork. Larger developments and more significant international events are ahead. We have the next four years to ensure that business events make strong and meaningful contributions to our economy, society, and environment.”

As BESarawak celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the organisation continues pushing forward. From a destination once easy to overlook, Sarawak has become a place the business events world is watching closely and increasingly, following its lead.