GEORGE TOWN, April 21 (Bernama) -- Penang is seeing a significant rise in opportunities to host international conferences following geopolitical tensions in West Asia, which have led event organisers to relocate their events to other regions.
Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) chief executive officer G. Ashwin said the shifting landscape has resulted in the rescheduling of numerous major business events, with the Asia-Pacific region emerging as a key alternative destination.
“At present, we are witnessing a notable increase in opportunities (to host international conferences) as events originally planned in West Asia are being cancelled or relocated. Thousands of events are now being redistributed across the Asia-Pacific and Europe.
“Penang has identified 26 international conferences as immediate targets for this year and next. These are low-hanging opportunities as they already exist, and we only need to position Penang as a suitable and attractive hosting destination,” he told reporters here today.
He was speaking after the launch of the BE Associate programme by PCEB, officiated by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Elaborating further, Ashwin said the opportunities are considered “low-hanging fruit” as most conferences had already been planned, and Penang only needs to engage with organisers to offer the state as a host location.
He said no international event cancellations have been recorded in the state so far due to the conflict, except for a few events that have been postponed by one to two months.
“So far, the impact on Penang has been minimal with no major cancellations recorded, only a few postponements, usually by one to two months, mostly due to travel-related issues,” he said, adding that the overall situation remains under control.
He noted that competition among destinations in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to intensify as countries vie to attract events relocated from the Middle East.
“This is an opportunity, but at the same time a highly competitive space, with many destinations competing for the same conference groups,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chow said the state government will continue to strengthen the business events sector to support the growth of the tourism industry.
He added that the state government will work closely with industry players to enhance Penang’s value proposition and reinforce its position as a preferred destination for international business events.
-- BERNAMA
