Press Room

Mr. Tan’s appointment is with immediate effect. He will now, lead BESarawak into its next phase of growth with a vision to strengthen Sarawak’s position, as a globally competitive business events destination through collaboration, innovation and legacy-driven development.

Sarawak has built strong foundations over the years added Mr. Tan. “My aspiration is to bring these strengths together into a more connected and future-ready business events ecosystem by strengthening collaboration, aligning our collective capabilities, and creating an environment where innovation, partnerships and opportunities can thrive.”

Jason Tan (right) receiving his appointment letter from Datu Hii Chang Kee, Deputy State Secretary Operation and Chairman of BESarawak.

Since joining BESarawak in 2012, he has held key leadership positions across Business Development, International Event Bidding, Research, Marketing and Communications, contributing significantly to Sarawak’s emergence as one of Asia Pacific’s leading business events destinations.

Datu Hii Chang Kee who is the deputy state secretary operation and chairman of BESarawak, mentioned that Jason Tan’s appointment reflects both continuity and confidence in the bureau’s future direction.

All of us in MICE in Asia would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jason Tan on his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of BESarawak.

Considered to be one of the world’s valuable travel markets, the WTE Miami will bring together the global travel industry to explore the trends, technologies and partnerships shaping the future of tourism on October 27 to 28, 2026 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Visitor registration is now open for the exhibition, which is expected to double in size and impact after its acquisition earlier this year by Fairfest Media.

Over 500 exhibitors, 7,000 buyers, 500 hosted and VIP buyers, and senior industry leaders from around the world will converge for the largest gathering of national tourism organisations at any travel trade show in the Americas.

“The travel industry is entering one of the most significant periods of transformation in its history,” said Simon Press, managing director international, Fairfest Inc. “Artificial intelligence is changing how travellers discover and book destinations. Consumer expectations continue to evolve new distribution channels are emerging and competition for the American traveller has never been greater. The US outbound and domestic travel market continues to thrive. WTE Miami has been created to give the North American travel industry the practical knowledge and global business connections needed to succeed in this rapidly changing environment.”

At the centre of this year’s event is the theme “Travel Advisor of the Future,” reflecting the evolving role of advisors as technology, traveller expectations and distribution models continue to evolve.

The Travel Advisor of the Future Conference will feature 20 over sessions and more than 100 speakers examining the future of travel distribution, sales, technology and traveller behaviour, outbound travel trends, travel advisor influence, social media, creator-led destination discovery and data-driven tourism marketing.

While attendees of the exhibition can expect to have direct access to buyers, advisors and travel professionals driving more than 9.3 million monthly US outbound departures

WTE Miami’s buyer program will facilitate over 10,000 pre-scheduled and on-the-spot meetings between exhibitors and qualified buyers from across the US travel ecosystem, ranging from independent agencies and home-based travel advisors to partnership teams of host agencies and consortia creating opportunities for new partnerships, market expansion and commercial growth.

The event combines an international exhibition, hosted buyer program, pre-scheduled business appointments, executive conference and networking program, creating a platform where organisations can generate new business, build strategic partnerships and gain practical insights into the future of travel.

World Travel Exhibition (WTE) Miami is a global B2B travel marketplace connecting destinations, tourism organisations, tour operators, airlines, hospitality providers and travel technology companies with the North American travel industry. The event is where America’s travel trade meets the world with the year’s host the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Miami International Airport.

For more information, please visit https://wtemiami.com

The B2B travel trade show dedicated to the Chinese travel market held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, recorded a 20 percent year-on-year increase in net exhibition area. The event brought together more than 900 travel organisations and companies from 85 countries and regions, 1,700 hosted buyers, as well as 280 media representatives and key opinion leaders.

Held alongside the exhibition was the ITB China Conference which featured more than 180 global industry speakers for in-depth discussions across over 70 forward-looking topics.

ITB China 2026 also welcomed 1,700 hosted buyers, including Chinese outbound travel buyers from all 31 provincial-level regions across mainland China, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Among them, 34 percent focused on customised travel, themed travel and high-end travel, while 25 percent were dedicated to the MICE and business travel market, reflecting the continued growth of mid-to-high-end and specialised purchasing needs.

Overseas buyers came from 27 countries and regions, accounting for 10 percent of the total buyer base. Over the course of the three-day show, buyers and more than 900 exhibitors engaged in high-density business exchanges, generating over 44,000 business meetings.

ITB China 2027 will take place from 25 to 27 May 25 to 27 as the show marks ten years of working alongside global travel partners. Next year’s edition will feature even more on-site highlights, industry exchanges and cooperation opportunities strengthening the two-way connection between China and the global travel market.

The meetings, events and hospitality technology provider has been re‑appointed Official Onsite Registration and Event App Partner for Convening APAC 2026, SIGNAL: Mastering Change. The event to take place from April 12 to 14 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

This marks the second consecutive year that PCMA has selected Cvent to power its flagship regional conference, which is expected to welcome over 350 business event professionals from across the Asia Pacific and other key global markets.

As part of the renewed partnership, Cvent will deploy its OnArrival 360 check-in and badging solution alongside the Cvent Attendee Hub mobile app to streamline onsite registration and speed up badge printing.

At The Business of Events 2025, this combined solution helped PCMA cut manual efforts by an estimated 30 to 40 percent, achieve a 93 percent check-in rate and drive strong app adoption with 161 downloads.

Digitised, QR code-based check‑in and on‑demand badge printing effectively eliminated registration queues and manual errors, while real‑time badge scanning and in‑app analytics provided richer insight into delegate behaviour and programme performance and helped sponsors better measure ROI from visibility and engagement across the event.

“Our continued partnership with PCMA, now in its second year, underscores our commitment to helping event professionals raise the bar for attendee and sponsor experience across the region by combining Cvent’s data‑driven event technology with PCMA’s world‑class content and community,” said Will Kataria, country head, Singapore, Cvent.

While Florence Chua, managing director of APAC, PCMA said: “This deepened mutual understanding significantly reduces implementation lead time while ensuring a seamless, ‘stress-free’ journey for our participants. By streamlining our operations through this trusted partnership, we can focus on delivering the PCMA experience that the community expects.”

A global community of bold leaders advancing sustainable travel, Beyond Green has join forces with Travalyst Coalition as its newest accommodation industry partner. Representing a diverse portfolio of independently owned and operated properties, Beyond Green will strengthen the accommodation sector’s voice within Travalyst by ensuring that emerging tools, data models, and solutions reflect the realities of hotels across scales, regions, and operational context.

Through this partnership, Beyond Green will also participate in Travalyst’s working groups, policy discussions, and knowledge‑sharing forums helping shape industry‑wide solutions while keeping its member hotels, informed of evolving sustainability guidance and regulatory trends.

The timing of this announcement is especially meaningful as Travalyst has recently launched its new Data Hub to bring greater consistency and transparency to sustainability data across the travel and tourism sector. Begining with accommodation, future iterations of the Data Hub will expand to rail, destinations, and data from other verticals in the industry.

Together, Beyond Green and the Travalyst Coalition are advancing the industry’s commitment to responsible tourism, creating pathways for travellers, accommodations, and destinations to contribute meaningfully to people and the planet.

Travalyst is an independent not-for-profit entity working to change the way the world travel founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in 2019 and, has some of the biggest brands in travel and technology such as Amadeus, Sabre, Google and Expedia Group, Trip.com Group, Skyscanner and Tripadvisor within its global coalition.

RateHawk the business-to-business online system for booking hotels, air tickets, and transfers has integrated several digital wallets as a new payment option in Asia. The platform now accepts payments through GCash in the Philippines, TrueMoney in Thailand, TNG in Malaysia, Dana in Indonesia, and AlipayHK for customers in China.

The platform has chosen the most popular service of each country to ensure fast, secure, and convenient transactions tailored to local preferences. Besides digital wallets, the platform offers a wide range of payment options from traditional credit cards, wire transfers, and cash payments at check-in to, innovative solutions such as pay-by-link and PayPal.

“We’ve integrated digital wallets in Asia due to their outstanding popularity among both businesses and consumers. This update enhances payment flexibility, which is essential for travel professionals navigating a fast-moving market and increasingly fragmented customer preferences,” said Erik Akhmetgaliev, regional director for APAC at RateHawk.

Since 2020, digital wallets have emerged as the leading payment method in Asia, particularly within the Asia Pacific region. Recent analysis shows that digital wallets account for nearly 70 percent of all transactions in in the Asia Pacific region, highlighting their rapid adoption and dominance in the regional payments landscape.

RateHawk established its Asian headquarters in Singapore in 2024 with a team of 29 commercial specialists. The platform is available in 33 languages which include Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese.

MICE leaders within the Asia Pacific region can look forward to the next Connect Marketplace Hong which is set to return after its successful inauguration in 2025. This year, it will take place from on March 18 and 19 at AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong.

CMHK will host a series of forum sessions featuring leading MICE industry speakers. Highlights include Day 1 keynote by Greeley Koch, professor of Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality at New York University and managing director of 490 Consulting LLC, and Andrée Jetté, a renowned neuroscientist specialising in stress management through humour and co-founder of Gestion Immobilière Immosoul Inc.

Bringing together sought-after speakers and a wide range of topics, the forum delivers practical insights which keep professionals at the forefront of the industry.

The event also offers curated networking experiences, including a Networking Night on Day 1 and a Gala Dinner on Day 2, uniting industry experts in a lively, engaging networking environment. Following the exhibition, invited business leaders will embark on a familiarisation trip to explore MICE venues and infrastructure firsthand, unveiling the city’s strengths as a leading MICE destination in APAC.

CMHK 2026 is set to go above and beyond, creating an experience that is welcoming, valuable, and empowering for industry professionals. Ranging from curated networking opportunities to thought-provoking forums, every aspect of the event is designed to foster meaningful connections, provide actionable insights, and inspire professionals to thrive in the MICE industry.

The event is open exclusively to trade professionals and accredited media. Visitors must be aged 18 or above. Free admission is available for registrations on or before 22 February.

For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/46Bq2Sf

Japan’s only international payment brand JCB, announced a new collaboration with Resorts World Sentosa Pte Ltd targeted at Japanese tourists. The partnership with Resorts World Sentosa is designed to enhance the travel experience for Japanese visitors to Singapore.

Singapore’s premier resort island, Resorts World Sentosa is the nation’s leading integrated lifestyle destinations, welcoming millions of local and international visitors annually across its attractions, dining, entertainment and lifestyle offerings. This collaboration aims to curate meaningful experiences that enhance every stage of the visitor journey for Japanese guests.

At the same time, JCB and RWS has launched exclusive privileges for Japan-issued JCB cardmembers visiting Singapore’s leading integrated resort.

Under this collaboration, eligible JCB cardmembers booking online will enjoy up to 20 percent savings on selected attractions, accommodation, dining and retail privileges at participating outlets within the Resorts World Sentosa.

These privileges are designed to enhance every stage of the visit, from iconic attractions to hotel stay, delivering seamless, rewarding experiences for international guests.

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. Its card business was launched in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981.

Its acceptance network includes about 71 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 175 million cardmembers.