ICCA Ranks Kuala Lumpur 5th Top Meetings Destination in the Asia-Pacific Region
June 10, 2012
Kuala Lumpur jumped two places in the International Congress & Convention Center Association’s world convention city rankings and three places in the Asia-Pacific region’s ranking based on the number of international association meetings held in 2011, said Zulkefli Hj. Sharif, CEO of the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).
Kuala Lumpur staged 78 international association meetings, finishing 21st in the world and securing the top five position in Asia Pacific.
Malaysia ranked 29th in the world overall – down one spot from the 28th world position, while retaining its position as one of the top 10 meeting destination in Asia Pacific.
Despite the slight decline in ranking, the number of international association meetings hosted in Malaysia grew from 119 to 126 last year.
One of the meetings held for first time in Asia, the 2011 Institute of Internal Auditors International Conference, is touted as the world’s largest gathering of internal auditors.
The 2011 IIA International Conference was held in Kula Lumpur and attracted more than 2,200 internal auditors and governance practitioners from 93 countries worldwide.
The attendance was the largest number of participants that has ever been recorded outside the United States, according to show organizers.
“Malaysia’s promising increase in number of meetings is the sounding result of growing strength, collaboration and commitment between the Ministry of Tourism, MyCEB and the various industry partners to bid for, secure and deliver successful international meetings for the country,” Zulkefli said.
He added, “We are also very proud to announce that other than Kuala Lumpur, other Malaysian cities like Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Melaka have also been ranked this year,reflecting a growth in Malaysia’s association meetings business amidst a competitive and challenging market.”
Penang and Melaka, both declared by UNESCO as a world heritage sites, are ranked 32 and 68 in Asia-Pacific city rankings, respectively, while Sabah was ranked No. 38 in the listings.
In 2011, MyCEB supported 29 convention bids and 20 corporate incentive groups representing 35,750 delegates and an economic value of RM382 million (USD 123 milion).
It also assisted 130 meetings and conventions, 6 exhibitions and 62 corporate incentive groups, which contributed an estimated economic impact of RM1 billion (US$344 million) to Malaysia.
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