KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin yesterday officially opened the World Tourism Conference 2010 (WTC 2010) hosted by Sabah.
Nine ministers and two deputy ministers have confirmed their participation in the three-day conference, starting Monday until Oct 6.
The international ministers are Brunei, East Timor, Gabon, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Chad, Nepal, Laos and Swaziland.
The two deputy ministers are from Kenya and Sri Lanka.
With a record breaking success of World Tourism Conference 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, WTC returned to Malaysia for the second time this year after an absence of 25 years.
The conference was held for the first time in Manila, the Philippines in 1980, followed by Acapulco, Mexico in 1982.
WTC 2010 is jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) together with the Sabah Government.
Some 500 participants, both local and international, have arrived here since Saturday.
The conference is aimed at uncovering the secrets of leading destinations and organisations in the tourism industry which can be adopted and adapted to generate income and accelerate growth in the industry.
It is also designed for policy makers, industry players and relevant stakeholders to share experiences and information on tourism mega trends and innovation, government initiatives and tourism business success stories.
In addition to that, it is expected to draw attention to innovative Tourism Product Development and Marketing Strategies, Sustainable Growth and partnership for tourism to chart the strategic directions to enable the public and private sectors to harness and maximise the potential of tourism.
UNWTO believes that sharing the experience of successful destinations and organisations will help increase total world tourism to the advantage of all, and will also help spread the benefits of tourism to less developed countries, thereby making an important contribution to one of the organisation’s principal goals — poverty alleviation.
This conference is of particular interest to national, regional and local tourism organisations that brings together a wide range of reputed world leaders in tourism, high-level policy makers, specialists and experts from both the public and private sectors, to share experience, put forward valuable ideas and provide guidance for future tourism development.
There are 12 leading speakers — three speakers from Malaysia including Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia secretary general; Azran Osman Rani, chief executive officer of AirAsia X, Air Asia Berhad; and Datuk Seri Tengku Dr Zainal Adlin Tengku Mahmod, Sabah Tourism Board chairman.
Other renowned speakers are Professor Kaye Chon of Hong Kong Polytechnic; Albert Stafford, director of Stafford Group; Paul Nursey, Strategy and Corporate Communications vice- president, James W McBride,Canadian Tourism Commission and president of YTL Hotels and Properties; FrÈderic Pierret, executive director of UNWTO); Daniel Levine, executive director of the Avant-Guide Institute; Valere Tjolle, UNWTO consultant; Ms Susan Warren, director of MTW Associates; and Hans Dominicus, director of Research, Development & Market Intelligence Amsterdam Tourism and Convention Board.
Every session is followed by a panel discussion in which the ideas presented will be analysed and practical recommendations for action by other destinations will be developed.
The organiser has also arranged city tours around Kota Kinabalu namely the Monsopiad Cultural Village, Kinabalu Park, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and Marine Ecology Research Centre at Gayana Eco Resort and Mari-Mari Cultural Tour.
For further information, please contact Tel: +603-4043-0462 or e-mail: [email protected]