Sarawak gears up the corporate incentive segment with the most certified incentive specialists in Malaysia.
Sarawak now has the most qualified professionals in Malaysia for the internationally acclaimed Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) designation, with a total of 26 local industry partners graduating from the course.
The latest virtual CIS course in Bangkok from 8th – 9th July 2021 was a collaboration between MICE Capability by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Sarawak Business Events Association(SBE). Twenty Sarawakian participants were supported by Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), while another six participants took the course at a different time. The CIS course is awarded by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE).
In the state’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, corporate incentives are one of the key initiatives to diversify the revenue pool of Sarawak when it comes to business events.
“Sarawak has a lot of potential and immersive experiences that can be developed with the support of new infrastructure, development and capacity building,” said Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Sarawak.
“Besides being home to multi-ethnic cultures with many adventures and some of the best natural hot spots to enjoy, Sarawak is also renowned for its irresistible local food and the world-famous Rainforest World Music Festival, which is a favourite with incentive groups. We are ready to welcome national corporate incentives to Borneo island in the fourth quarter of 2021”.
The CIS course is a positive headstart for industry partners, now with a dedicated association to further lead the industry.
According to SBE’s President, Frederick Ho, “Corporate incentives are not new for Sarawak’s industry partners as Sarawak has hosted many global incentive groups from around the world. When the business reopens, we aim to enhance the skill level of our industry partners and garner more return and referred businesses. On behalf of SBE members, we appreciate the support from TCEB and BESarawak.”
A vital aspect of appealing to corporate incentive planners is to have a strategy in place with the support that matches. “We are serious about becoming a major player in this region,” said BESarawak’s CEO, Amelia Roziman.
“Last year we created a dedicated unit to spearhead corporate incentives and deployed our blueprint of 2 years to uplift Sarawak as a unique corporate incentive destination under the banner of Tribe Legacy Sarawak campaign. Our marketing and promotional efforts coupled with new incentive ideas and attractive incentivised packages will be instrumental in tapping into this segment with current global trends.”
Amelia further added that “the updated guideline in organising business events in Sarawak and standard operating procedure (SOP) are in place to ensure the success and safety of the groups.”
The 26 successful graduates were members from Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Sarawak, Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), Association of Sarawak Inbound Agencies (ASIA), Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Sarawak Chapter and Sarawak Business Events Association (SBE).
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