KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's two food and hospitality events should be expanded to include international participation, fostering networking opportunities and healthy competition.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew believes that inviting international participants would make these events more impactful, allowing local participants to learn new skills from their foreign counterparts.
"Going international would broaden the level of participation," she said, referring to the Food Hospitality Malaysia (FHM) Borneo Edition 2024 and the 24th Sabah Hospitality Fiesta, which concluded on Saturday (Sept 28).
Speaking at the event, Liew urged the organisers, Asian Tourism International College (ATI College) and the Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) Sabah and Labuan chapter, to extend invitations to neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Brunei, as well as Japan and Korea, for next year's fiesta.
"Partnering with other countries would add an international dimension, creating a greater impact through food culture exchange, networking opportunities, and tourism promotion.
This move will boost Sabah's visibility as a culinary destination," she added.
Liew also expressed her satisfaction with the larger turnout at this year's event.
MAH Sabah and Labuan chapter chairman Hafizan Wong noted that in addition to the hundreds of competition participants, 130 booths were set up to allow exhibitors to showcase their products and services.
