KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur has firmly positioned in the top 10 business events destinations in Asia.
The International Convention & Conference Association (ICCA) Statistics Report 2019 said the city
recorded its best ranking in seven years, achieving seventh position in the Asia and Oceania region.
It also ranked 22nd position in the world, up 12 places from 2018.
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) general manager Alan Pryor said this ICCA rankings reveal the high number of international meetings held in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia last year.
Pryor said each of these delivered economic contribution, knowledge sharing opportunities and social impact benefits to the country.
"We hope that in view of the current situation, this ranking demonstrates a strong case for the government in facilitating the reopening of the business events industry, which will play a vital role in stimulating Malaysia's economy," he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) chief executive officer Datuk Sri Abdul Khani Daud said MyCEB and its industry partners have successfully supported 331 business events in 2019 which contributed a total of RM3.1 billion in estimated economic impact to Malaysia, reflecting the magnitude of the business events industry's value to the country.
Abdul Khani said it is great to see the industry's efforts are paying off and international associations are recognising the many benefits of Malaysia as an attractive business events destination.
"This elevated ranking in both Asia and the world is significant for Kuala Lumpur, not only as the capital city of Malaysia but also as the economic hub of the country.
"These meetings are also important contributors to the development of some of Malaysia's key industries," he said.
Pryor also said the ICCA ranking improvement reflects the great collaboration the Centre, along with other local business events players, had in working together with MyCEB to secure international association meetings.
He said last year was a particularly strong year for medical conferences at the Centre and it feel that Malaysia's excellent track record in successfully attracting and hosting medical meetings; the government's ongoing focus on the healthcare sector; and the country's relative success in tackling Covid-19.
"These means we are well positioned to benefit from any post-COVID surge in medical and healthcare-related meetings," he said.
The several high-profile international medical meetings, which were held at the Centre last year, attracted over 3,500 participants and delivered RM24.3 million in economic impact to Malaysia.