KL takes 7th spot in Asia for international conference
29 May 2020
Kuala Lumpur has been ranked seventh in the Asia and Oceania region in the International Convention & Conference Association (ICCA) Statistics Report 2019, thanks to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Last year, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre hosted 91 international association meetings, which helped Kuala Lumpur to obtain its best ranking in seven years, three positions better from 2018 .
On the world ranking, Kuala Lumpur took the 22nd position, up 12 places from the previous year.
On the ICCA rankings, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre general manager Alan Pryor (pix) commented that the position revealed the high number of international meetings held in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia last year and 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 in a statement today.
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) CEO Datuk Seri Abdul Khani Daud said MyCEB and its industry partners have supported 331 business events in 2019, which contributed an estimated RM3.1 billion economic impact to the country. This reflected the magnitude of the business events industry’s value to the country.
“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. These meetings are also important contributors to the development of some of Malaysia’s key industries,” said Abdul Khani.
In addition, Pryor added that it was a particularly strong year for medical conferences at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre last year.
“We 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, means we are well positioned to benefit from any post-Covid surge in medical and healthcare-related meetings,” he said.
In 2019, the convention centre hosted several international meetings which had attracted over 3,500 participants and delivered RM24.3 million in economic impact.
Source: The Sun Daily
