Sabah starts preparation for ASEAN Travel Exchange
KOTA KINABALU (June 3): Preparations are underway for Sabah to host the two-day ASEAN Travel Exchange (ATE) 2025 this month, says Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Christina Liew.
ATE 2025 is a premier Business 2 Business (B2B) networking event in Sabah, connecting travel trade sellers and regional buyers to foster partnerships and collaborations on June 19 and 20.
The minister said the State Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment (KePKAS) will host this inaugural mega tourism event at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has been invited to officiate at the opening ceremony on June 19.
Liew said KePKAS supports the proposal for four organisations to establish strategic partnership with Sabah Tourism Board (STB) in organising ATE 2025. They are the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA), Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA), Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) and AirAsia Group.
ASEAN has 10 member countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
For ATE 2025, the target audience will be made up of tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers, homestay operators, product owners and decision-makers from the industry stakeholders.
'As we gear up for the upcoming event, I have been informed by the president of FATA (Datuk Tan Kok Liang) that 354 delegates from 17 countries have already confirmed their participation. They comprise 125 sellers and 229 buyers,' said Liew after a courtesy call by a delegation from the organisers, recently.
According to Tan, seller countries include Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei and Cambodia, with Malaysia leading the list with 88 sellers.
'On the buyers' side, top participating countries include the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand. This strong regional presence underscores growing international interest in Malaysia's tourism offerings, particularly in Sabah, which continues to gain traction as a vibrant and strategic tourism hub in the region,' he said in his briefing for the minister.
Also present were the Ministry's Permanent Secretary Datuk Josie Lai, President of MATTA Nigel Wong, Chairman of MATTA Sabah Mohd Azlan Saleh, and Immediate Past Chairman of MATTA Sabah, Lawrence Chin.
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