Abdul Karim (centre) speaking to reporters.
KUCHING (Oct 7): The Participatory Design Conference (PDC) in 2024 will promote Sibu on the world map, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Speaking to reporters, the Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister said the international conference would initiate a connection and encourage international tourists to visit Sibu.
“Sibu, Sarawak will be the first destination in Malaysia and Asia to host the Participatory Design Conference in 2024.
“This is a timely win to position Sarawak, in particular Sibu, as a reputable business events destination. As business events are always in Kuching, sometimes in Miri, this time is Sibu.
“I hope next time many will be organised in Sibu, so we can see what others can have and offer in Sibu,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
He also said the conference would draw more international tourists and boost the local tourism industry.
He added that 2024 is important to Sarawak due to the Sarawak government’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
“This international conference will be held 10 days, so there will be more time for delegates to visit and explore interesting places in Sibu and will bring good memories for them,” he added.
Organised by University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), the conference is themed ‘Reaching Out: Connecting Beyond Participation’.
It will gather about 500 international and national researchers, academicians, stakeholders and local communities from multidisciplinary fields who are interested to jointly explore progress in issues and challenges related to social and communication technology and in-depth look at issues of the last decades such as communication infrastructure, rural communities and poor neighbourhoods.
The conference also aims to increase community awareness, especially on the legal impact of conflicts between stakeholders and community.
Sarawak will also gain more in terms of knowledge expansion, networking, professional relationships and collaborations, education outcomes, fundraising and future research capacity in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development.
For further information, visit https://pdc2024.org or contact Conference co-chairs Associate Professor Dr Tariq Zaman ([email protected]) or Gary Loh Chee Wyai ([email protected]).