‘Tourism Futures Reimagined’ will be the theme for the 6th World Tourism Conference (WTC) 2022 happening in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this month. Key speakers and tourism industry professionals from around the world will mark their presence and gather at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) from 28 to 30 November 2022.
To date, close to 800 international and local participants from over 40 countries have secured their registration to the much anticipated World Tourism Conference. Foreign dignitaries, Malaysia government departments and agencies, tourism professionals, academicians, and NGO are among the list of attendees.
The right honourable Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji bin Haji Noor is expected to attend the opening ceremony. Sabah State Government is hosting the official WTC 2022 Dinner on 28 November 2022.
The World Tourism Conference will discourse about 4 main topics, over a few sessions with 24 multinational invited speakers. The keynote presentation will be delivered by Prof Dato’ ChM. Dr Mazlin Mokhtar – Deputy Head (Research) United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network-Asia, Sunway University.
Session 1 for Decoding Tourism Futures – Foresight & Scenarios will feature Mr Javier Ruescas Senior Programme Officer UNWTO, Dr Wouter Geerts- Head of Research Skift, Dr Johanna Loehr – Postdoctoral Research Fellow Griffith University, Dr Ian Yeoman – Professor of Tourism Futures Victoria University of Wellington and Lau Yin May – Group Chief Marketing Officer Malaysia Airlines.
Session 2 for Discovering Niche Opportunities for Growth will feature Dr Laszlo Puczko – CEO & Co-Founder Health Tourism Worldwide (Hungary), Dr Amran Hamzah – Professor in Tourism Planning Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jane Lim – Vice President Global Market Tripadvisor, Mich Goh – Head of Public Policy Southeast Asia Airbnb and Yusno Yunos – CEO & Founder Evenesis.
‘Redefining Tourism Success- Inspiring Stories’ are the key topic for discussion in session 3. His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Mausoom – Minister of Tourism Republic of Maldives, Gary Bowerman – Director of Check-in Asia, Martha Domenech – Director-General Tourism Catalunya Spain, Brent Anderson – Regional General Manager Tourism Australia, Natalie Kidd – Chief People and Purpose Officer Intrepid Travel, Albert – Co-founder Traveloka and Chin Yoon Khen – Founder & CEO LokaLocal are set to be the speakers line up.
Fourth session ‘Rebuilding Tourism Resilience and Readiness’ speakers are Dr Raymond Rastegar – Researcher & lecturer The University of Queensland Australia, Carol Mackenzie – Group Head of Crisis Management & Business Continuity TUI Group, HC Chan – CEO Sunway Malls & Theme Parks, Emanuel Tutek – Partner, Bluerock Consulting Austria & Croatia, Dr S.Mostafa Rasoolimanesh – Director Centre of Research and Innovation in Tourism (CRiT) Taylor’s University and Prof. Jafar Jafari – Professor of Hospitality & Tourism University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Representing Sabah on the exclusive WTC stage will be Dr Maklarin Lakim, Director of Sabah Parks and Jessica Yew, Co-founder and Director of Sticky Rice Travel.
World Tourism Conference 2022 will also among other highlights the distinctiveness of Malaysian culture, indigenous handicrafts, traditional foods and local products.
Earlier in October, Sabah Tourism Board announced that Sabah will be hosting The 6th World Tourism Conference (WTC) jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that will take place in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from the 28-30 November 2022 at Sabah International Convention Center.
Sabah last hosted this event in the year 2010 and the selection of Sabah again shows sign of recognition to the commitment and leadership of the state government which has always led to the sustainable and constant development of the tourism sector to successfully position Sabah as a major tourist destination on the world stage.
WTC themed “Tourism Futures Reimagined”, aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform which champions thought leadership on tourism futures and strategies driving tourism’s recovery and resilience in a post-pandemic world.
WTC will feature a line-up of world-renowned speakers in four sessions – Decoding Tourism Futures, Discovering Niche Opportunities, Redefining Tourism Success and Rebuilding Tourism Resilience and Readiness.
The committee is expecting 700 international and local participants to convene in Sabah for this 3-days event. Applications are currently open through the official UNWTO website and will be vetted through by MOTAC.
“We are expecting foreign dignitaries, tourism industry experts and WTC participants from all over the world to visit Sabah for this exclusive event. Sabah Tourism Board as a strategic partner has been working closely with MOTAC, Tourism Malaysia and industry stakeholders to prepare and welcome these delegations.” commented Noredah Othman, Chief Executive Officer of Sabah Tourism Board.
Over 1200 participants convened in Sabah for the 2nd Asia Park Congress in May this year. Subsequently, physical events are proceeding once again among some to note: The Malaysia Borneo Football Cup, Borneo Bird Festival, Borneo Safari and the WWF – Malaysia 50th Anniversary Conference.