Sarawak exceeds annual target with 160 business events in 2025

KUCHING (Jan 12): The state secured 160 business events last year, achieving 115 per cent of its annual target, said Business Events (BE) Sarawak.

These secured events, scheduled between last year and 2030, are projected to generate a total economic impact of RM483.5 million.

“Projected direct delegate expenditure stands at RM262.8 million, generating RM29 million in tax revenue across 177,453 delegate days.

“Sarawak also maintained a 100 per cent bid success rate from 2022, demonstrating sustained international confidence in Sarawak’s destination leadership and ecosystem readiness,” BE Sarawak said in a statement.

Major secured events include the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference 2025, Asian Congress on Occupational Health 2026, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Triennial General Assembly 2026, and International Council on Archives (ICA) Conference 2027.

On the hosting front, Sarawak successfully delivered 159 business events last year, a 27 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The events generated RM491.4 million in total economic impact, including RM267 million in direct delegate expenditure.

These events attracted 59,926 delegates, contributed RM29.5 million in tax revenue, and supported more than 38,000 jobs across the state.

“I am very proud to announce that 2025 represented the best performance in Sarawak’s business events history,” said Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah during the BE Sarawak board of directors appreciation dinner.

According to him, how the world looks at Sarawak has been reshaped, 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 (BE Sarawak’s) 20th anniversary this year. This is not the achievement of one organisation, but the result of a united ecosystem working with shared purpose,” he said.

Abdul Karim pointed out that the 2026 to 2030 period marks the final phase of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, guided by Sarawak’s 13th Malaysia Plan.

“Our next phase must ensure that business events continue to deliver meaningful contributions to our economy, society and environment,” he said.

According to BE Sarawak, the Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign has delivered its strongest impact to date, driving record growth in Sarawak’s business events sector and firmly positioning the state as Malaysia and Borneo’s legacy capital of business events.

“As part of the Tribe Legacy Sarawak Campaign, Sarawak has embedded impact measurement and legacy design into its business events strategy,” it said.

Of the 166 legacy-focused events secured last year, it said 60 had been selected for a pilot measurement programme, with 10 already validated and the remaining 50 undergoing assessment to evaluate economic, social, and community outcomes.

Under the legacy initiative, 13 high-value national and international events have been mobilised across strategic sectors, including hydrogen and carbon markets, digital economy, healthcare, literacy, and aerospace — directly supporting Sarawak’s PCDS 2030 priorities, it added.