Latest news with #AseanTravelExchange


Daily Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Express
Chief Minister to officiate Asean Travel Exchange June 19
Published on: Wednesday, June 04, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 04, 2025 Text Size: Tan (standing at right) briefing Minister Liew (seated at left) on ATE 2025. Kota Kinabalu: Preparations are underway for Sabah to host the two-day Asean Travel Exchange (ATE) 2025 this month, says State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew. Basically, 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 at 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. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


The Star
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sabah to host Asean Travel Exchange 2025, gathering influential tourism players
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is set to host the Asean Travel Exchange (Atex) 2025 on June 19, which promises to spark fruitful collaborations among Asean tourism industry players. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor was briefed on Atex 2025 by a delegation of influential tourism players at his office in Menara Kinabalu on Monday (May 26). Federation of Asean Travel Association (Fata) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said Atex 2025 will be the first international business-to-business tourism event to be hosted. The event is expected to bring in 200 international buyers and 100 regional sellers for trade, dialogue and collaboration in the tourism sector. The state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry and key tourism organisations are supporting the Atex 2025. Industry players expect Atex 2025 to be a game changer in positioning Sabah at the forefront of regional and international tourism markets. Among those in the delegation with Tan, who is Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president, were Asean Tourism Association (Aseanta) president Eddy Krismeidi, Nigel Wong and Air Asia director for Global Policy and Government Relations Zamani Rafique. State Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister and Chairman of Sabah Tourism, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai was also present.