ASEAN 2025: CALL FOR TOURISM PLAYERS TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO HOST CONFERENCES, EVENTS

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 provides many opportunities for prospective organisers to host conferences and events, including the World Tourism Day celebration and the World Tourism Forum, said the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

As such, he said Malaysian tourism players also need to seize the opportunities provided by Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and the country’s role as the host for World Tourism Day next year.

“This (one-year) period will see the implementation of various tourism-related projects, supporting a full post-pandemic recovery effort and revitalizing the tourism sector,” he said in a statement today.

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Tiong also said that in addition to the World Tourism Forum, the ASEAN Tourism Forum will also take place in Malaysia next year, and preparations for these major events are underway.

Last August, Tiong visited the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and attended the World Tourism Day celebration in Georgia, where Malaysia officially received the right to host the event next year.

During the celebration, Tiong also met with his counterparts from Bahrain and Uzbekistan for the second time to discuss tourism and cultural cooperation between Malaysia and the two countries.

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Tiong noted that Uzbekistan has expressed interest in signing an agreement with Malaysia to promote Melaka and its surrounding areas to its citizens in conjunction with World Tourism Day celebrations in Melaka next year.

Meanwhile, he said Bahrain agreed with Malaysia to establish a working group to follow up on the implementation of future projects, including developing a Muslim-friendly tourism market in Bahrain.

In fact, Tiong said Bahrain had also sought Malaysia’s assistance in connecting the country with the Muslim market in China and that he is currently reviewing the progress of this initiative, including reaching out to his counterpart in China and discussing marketing strategies with officials from JD, focusing on the large Muslim market in Xinjiang and its surrounding areas.

Tiong also highlighted that during the tabling of the 2025 Budget by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it was announced that Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship would facilitate the ASEAN Summit involving the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)+China to strengthen trilateral cooperation.

“The Muslim-friendly tourism initiative involving Malaysia, Bahrain, and China could serve as a model for this cooperation,” he said.

-- BERNAMA