Recently Malaysia won a bid to host the 9^th PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from 12 to 14 February 2020. The preparation has already begun, and Malaysia is all set to make the event grand as this is the very first time that ATCM is being hosted in Malaysia. PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) is traditionally held in February and the same is being repeated every year for last 8 consecutive years and it attracts more than 200 delegates from over 25 countries producing a higher level of the engagement programme.

The event is generally for 3 days, with both conference and travel mart components bring 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 event is basically organised by Tourism Malaysia in partnership with Sabah Tourism Board and Malaysia Airlines. The three days are very well bifurcated and utilised immensely. The one-day conference is designed to support PATA’s vision for the responsible development of tourism, while the next day is for travel mart which helps promote, build and strengthen business and networks for delegates.

 “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.” Said YB Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

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

It is expected that the hosting of this event will boost and attract tourist to Malaysia in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign. Also, it is speculated to bring greater media publicity to Malaysia as a destination for creating awareness for the diversified eco-tourism and cultural representation.

As Sabah is chosen to host the niche adventure programme is best in every aspect as the place is serene and depicts Malaysia’s culture through thick and thin enabling the event to bloom at its best.