KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Exposition and Convention Centre (MyExpo) is set to be another catalytic project to boost business tourism in the country, which could surpass the sector forecast of RM3.9 billion to Gross National Income by 2020.
The country sees the importance of exhibition centres in generating business tourism growth but MyExpo has more to offer as it is expected to create more than 16,700 jobs estimated in 2020 for the sector.
MyExpo, together with Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), will be the largest exhibition centre in Southeast Asia. It is expected to garner a total annual revenue of RM500 million.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said MyExpo will help make Putrajaya a city that truly caters for both business and leisure, not only for local residents but also for the host of other nationals who are expected to live and work in the city.
“The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) sector is a rapidly growing part of the global tourism industry. In Malaysia we are taking this segment very seriously, which is why we established the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, or MyCEB, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in 2009,” Najib said in his speech at the ground breaking ceremony of MyExpo First Phase here.
“By 2020, business tourism is forecast to contribute RM3.9 billion to Gross National Income and generate 16,700 jobs. I am sure that MyExpo will enhance those figures still further,” he added.
In 2016, the Malaysian MICE industry attracted 111,298 delegates to 153 events and generated RM1.035 billion in revenue.
Citing International Congress and Convention Association, Najib said Kuala Lumpur is ranked eighth in the Asia Pacific and 28th globally as a convention centre city while among countries, Malaysia was ranked seventh in the region and 30th in the world.
The convention centre, to be managed by Convention & Exhibition (Putrajaya), is equipped with unique designs such as a column-free hall of up to 126,000 square feet with a height of 15 feet and collapsible walls. It has the capacity to accommodate 60,000 people at a time.
MyExpo, located adjacent to PICC, is part of MyExpo City that will cover four million square feet to includ mall, parks, service apartments and both a four star and a five star hotels.
MyExpo City, which will be developed by Putrajaya Leisures and Services Group Sdn Bhd (Pulse Group), has two phases of development.
Phase 1A will consist of a five-storey exhibition hall, 23-storey building while Phase 1B will feature a five-star hotel.
Phase 1C will comprise a boutique mall, an indoor theme park and service apartments.