Business Events Sarawak’s (BESarawak) plan to expand Sarawak’s cities – aside from its capital Kuching – as meeting and conference destinations continues with the latest launch of the Business Events Consortium of Miri (BECoM).
BECoM – armed with its tagline Miri Open for Business Events – aims to catapult Miri as a business events destination.
The consortium is made up of 22 members comprising Miri City Council and industry partners such as hoteliers, destination management companies and event management companies. Members will work together to drive business events into the city and provide the necessary products and services related to bidding and winning business events.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak, Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew, said: “Miri is typically associated with tourism activities but now we are welcoming the business events sector to choose Miri and invest in our destination to inspire and be inspired.”
The Malaysian city already has in place infrastructure for conferences of up to 17,000 delegates, as well as attractions for post tours such as the well-known diving attraction, the Miri Sibuti Coral Reef National Park. It is also a short flight from the UNESCO World Heritage Mulu National Park.
COO of of BESarawak, Amelia Roziman, added: “This move by BESarawak will enable the industry partners and players in Miri to further develop opportunities in terms of hosting conferences. Our initiatives are driven by Sarawak’s tribal values of community, identity and unity therefore we are confident that Miri has the potential to expand its sectors and BECoM will be the vehicle that drives Miri to be the pioneer of conferences that have yet to be brought to our shores.”
Miri established itself as a leading port within the region for oil and timber industries, sparked by the discovery of oil in Borneo in the early 1900s. Today, there are a few industrial areas such as Kuala Baram Industrial Estate (Mixed, Light, and Medium Industries), Piasau Industrial Estate (Mixed Light Industries) and Bekenu Light Industrial Area (food processing).
Aside from being an industrially strong city, Miri has excelled in the sector of agriculture to become the state’s focus city in using high-technology farming via the fertigation system starting next year, with a model that is currently supporting the city’s agropreneurs.
Miri has been the venue for major conferences such as the International Multi-conference in Computer Science and Engineering, 2nd Borneo diabetes conference 2019, 7th International Conference on Smart Computing & Communications 2019, International Conference on Materials Technology & Energy 2019 and the 8th International Conference on Bio-Processing 2019.
BECoM is the second consortium formed by BESarawak, the first being the Sibu Business Events Consortium that was formed in July. Next year, BESarawak will launch the Bintulu Business Events Consortium.
More than 500 operators, investors, industry, local councils and government partners have joined forces to deliver a bold new 12-year vision to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more in the Brisbane region.
The Visitor Economy 2031 Vision for the Brisbane region targets visiting friends and relatives, holidaymakers, students, as well as major event and business travellers.
Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said the Visitor Economy 2031 Vision, developed by Brisbane’s economic development board Brisbane Marketing, in collaboration with industry and regional tourism partners as well as all levels of government, would help unlock the potential of the Brisbane region.
“Brisbane is transforming through A$12 billion (US$8.3 billion) worth of new developments, including Brisbane’s new runway, International Cruise Ship Terminal and Queen’s Wharf Brisbane,” he said, adding that “there is potential to secure an additional A$6.5 billion a year in visitor expenditure and support 50,000 new jobs”.
“In Brisbane, we know there is more to see and do in our region than ever before, but now we need to work together to create a globally recognised Brisbane brand and remarkable experiences to give visitors even more reason to stay and spend in our region.”
The Visitor Economy 2031 Vision aims to build experiences in Brisbane, encourage brand awareness and global advocacy, as well as encourage visitors to explore the entire Brisbane region and use Brisbane as a base to explore the rest of Australia.
Schrinner said work had already started to build a globally recognised brand for the region and unearth new experiences. Some of the initiatives underway include:
A A$10 million cooperative marketing program in collaboration with Brisbane Marketing, Brisbane Airport Corporation and the State Government targeting North America and South-east Asian markets where there are direct flights into Brisbane.
An industry-owned and shared Brisbane narrative, that captures the elements and examples that make Brisbane the region of choice for a growing number of domestic and international visitors.
The recently announced Lord Mayor’s Experience Development Incentive Grant Program that supports local businesses to offer more exceptional experiences to enhance Brisbane’s appeal as a destination of choice.
Brisbane City Council’s River Access Network that has opened up opportunities for new commissionable tourism products, similar to Sealink and the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation’s (QYAC) newly launched Yalingbila whale watching tour.
“This Vision is a great example of collaboration, but our ambitions for the Brisbane region over the next 12 years will only be realised through a true partnership approach where all stakeholders continue to come to the table,” Schrinner said.
Brisbane Airport Corporation’s CEO Gert-Jan De Graaff said the city was in a unique position to attract more visitors and entice them to stay longer.
“Brisbane is entering an era of extraordinary opportunity and Brisbane’s new runway is a catalytic investment that will enable significant growth in international visitors for decades to come,” he said.
Momentum for Brisbane is already building with the latest tourism figures showing record numbers of domestic and international visitors from places like Sydney, Melbourne, China and the US.
Forecasts from the Visitor Economy 2031 Vision show the combined value of international and domestic overnight visitors to Brisbane will contribute nearly 90 per cent of total visitor spend and visitors will come from regional markets, interstate capital cities and Brisbane’s top six international markets, including China, India, North America, South Korea, Japan and the UK.