KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — The confidence level of international business exhibitors and travellers in Malaysia as their choice of destination remained high despite the pandemic challenges, said Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).
Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Abdul Khani Daud said that in 2020, MyCEB had won the bids for 60 events to be organised up until 2026, and this year from January to April, the bureau had already won 13 events coming into the country starting from next year.
“However we would like to see the confidence level continue and one way to achieve this is with the successful implementation of the vaccination programme.
“In order to boost the confidence level of international participants or organisers, the government also needs to give priority to industry players to be vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said during a webinar today themed “Covid-19 Vaccines and Safe Business Events. Can it Work?”
The event was organised by the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS).
He said industry players must also work together in order not to let the pandemic deter what the industry had achieved in the past as concerns that they were not vaccinated would give negative impact to industry in the future.
There are about 3.5 million people involved in the industry which include those in airlines, travel agents, hotels, venues and event organisers contributing about 14.7 per cent to gross domestic product.
“If the government is serious about helping and giving confidence to international travellers, they should make sure this group should be vaccinated first, so that we could go back and do business in the new normal.
“This had been done by some countries like the United Arab Emirates which had vaccinated all the industry front liners to give clear indication to others that they care about people’s health and safety,” he said.
He added that MyCEB had already written and held talks with various ministries involved to consider giving this priority to enable the industry to prepare and plan for various programmes in the future when things are back to normal.
Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/05/20/despite-covid-19-confidence-remains-high-in-malaysia-as-business-exhibition/1975767