NUR-SULTAN, KAZAKHSTAN, 19 SEPTEMBER 2019: Malaysia has won the bid to host the 9^th PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from 12 to 14 February 2020. It will be the first time that ATCM is being hosted in Malaysia.

The event will be organised by Tourism Malaysia in partnership with Sabah Tourism Board and Malaysia Airlines.

PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) is traditionally held in February and attracts more than 200 delegates from over 25 countries. This three-day niche event, with both conference and travel mart components, brings together tourism professionals involved in adventure travel and responsible tourism to discuss creating new opportunities for promoting environmental protection and social sustainability within the industry.

The one-day conference is designed to support PATA’s vision for the responsible development of tourism, while the one-day travel mart helps promote, build and strengthen business and networks for delegates.

YB Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, says, “Malaysia is proud and honoured to be given the opportunity to host this PATA event in Malaysia. It will be a golden opportunity for us to showcase Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, world-renowned for its nature and adventure attractions.”

“We look forward to welcoming our international guests to Malaysia for a fruitful meeting and explorations of the beauty and rugged landscapes of Sabah,” he adds.

The selection of Sabah for this niche adventure programme is ideal as the state is popular for outdoor activities. Among its natural assets are Mount Kinabalu, one of Southeast Asia’s highest peaks; the Sipadan island dive site with its great marine biodiversity; lush rainforests and flora and fauna including the Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower.

It is expected that the hosting of this event will bring greater media publicity to Malaysia as a destination for adventure travel, create awareness for Malaysia’s diverse eco-tourism and cultural product offerings, and brand Malaysia as a key player in sustainable tourism practices.

It will be a boost to attracting tourists to Malaysia in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign.

About Sabah:

Situated on the beautiful island of Borneo, Sabah is the second largest of thirteen states within Malaysia. It shares the island with Sarawak, Brunei and Indonesian Kalimantan.

Sabah is well-connected domestically and internationally. The main gateway to Sabah is the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) situated about 20 minutes away from the city. Presently Sabah enjoys almost 100 direct international flights that connect to major cities including Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur (via Kuala Lumpur International Airport), Seoul (Korea ROK), Hong Kong SAR and Shenzhen (China), Singapore, Jakarta (Indonesia), Taipei (Chinese Taipei), Manila (Philippines), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Tokyo (Japan) and Perth (Australia).

For more information, please visit www.PATA.org/ATCM

ENDS

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM84.1 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

For press information, contact:

Muhammad Aliff Asyraff bin Kamal Nur Zaman
Assistant Director, Corporate Communication Division
muhammadaliff@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8748