KUCHING: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is set to grace the 10th edition of the Anak Sarawak Award ceremony, which will be held at Hotel Imperial, here on May 12.
The event will mark Malaysia’s first award for the event industry, featuring corporate meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions.
“Business events are crucial to executing the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) and turning Sarawak into a thriving destination that enjoys economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability by 2030.
“With our focus on business events legacy impacts, the sector is very much capable of producing economic legacies that support our intended growth rate of 8 per cent per annum and social legacies that reduce urban and rural development gaps,” said Abang Johari
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that it has been five years since the Anak Sarawak Award was hosted due to the pandemic, and he expressed excitement to celebrate the achievement of the business events community.
“The resilience, creativity and innovation shown by the industry in the face of unprecedented challenges and opportunities brought over two million visitor arrivals and over RM3.87 million in tourism receipts in 2022.
“This year, we are targeting three million visitors and RM7.25 billion in tourism receipts and believe that business events will contribute to a good portion of the arrivals,” he said.
The ceremony will present nine awards in total, including the newly included Sarawak Heritage award, which aims to measure the impact of heritage on the economy, sectors, social, and environment.
The theme of this year’s award ceremony is ‘Spirit, Inspiration, and Heritage.’
Chief executive officer of Business Event Sarawak (BESarawak) Amelia Roziman highlighted that the aim of the ceremony is to motivate attendees to be inspired, better and to believe that every change they make, whether big or small, has a positive impact on society, leaving a legacy behind.
During the ceremony, the Premier will also announce two important events related to the event industry.
This annual event is a platform to recognise and honour outstanding individuals and organisations in the event industry who have contributed significantly to Sarawak’s economic development.
The Anak Sarawak Award is a prestigious event that the industry looks forward to every year, with anticipation to see who will take home the coveted awards.
Also present during the announcement were president of the Sarawak Business Federation Datuk Seri Abang Abdul Karim Tun Abang Openg and permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sherrina Hussaini.
