SARAWAK hosted 16 business events in the first quarter of 2025, generating a total economic impact of RM37.6 million.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said these events injected RM20.5 million in direct delegate spending into the economy.
He said the state also gained an estimated RM2.3 million in tax revenue from the events.
“We have currently concluded 17 per cent of the scheduled events, including EIC Connect Energy Borneo 2025 and the National Symposium on Islamic Banking and Finance 2025 held in conjunction with the Opening of the Legal Year Sabah and Sarawak 2025 (OLYSS 2025),” he said.
He said this in his ministerial winding-up speech in the august House today.
Abdul Karim added that as of December 31, 2024, Sarawak had secured 111 business events, surpassing the initial target of 100 set for 2024.
He said these secured events are projected to generate RM313.6 million in total economic impact for the state through to 2028.
Of this, he said about RM170.4 million will come from direct delegate expenditure and RM18.8 million from anticipated tax revenue.
“Sarawak has successfully secured major international conferences, including the Hydrogen Economy Forum 2025 and the 16th Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Conference 2025, further positioning the state as a preferred destination for impactful and strategic business events,” he added.
Abdul Karim noted that Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) will also host LEGACY360 this year, Southeast Asia’s first event dedicated to business event legacy education and advocacy.
In addition, he said the new Borneo International Legacy Awards (BILA) will honour those who successfully integrate legacy principles into events.
“As an evolved version of the Anak Sarawak Awards, BILA reflects Sarawak’s growing influence in legacy-driven business events and will expand its scope to a regional and global level,” he added.
