Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in
Sarawak, Malaysia
On the lush island of Borneo, Malaysia's largest state provides groups a range of exotic experiences, such as the cultural attractions and high-tech event spaces in the capital city of Kuching, as well as the eco-friendly activities of the natural parks and preserves.

Why Sarawak, Malaysia, for Your Next Meeting or Event?

On the lush island of Borneo, Malaysia’s largest state provides groups a range of exotic experiences. The many cultural attractions and high-tech event spaces in the capital city of Kuching give way to the local crafts of central Sibu and the eco-friendly activities of the natural parks and preserves.

Travel Essentials

Taxes: Room tax, 6%; service charge, 10%; total tax on hotel rooms, 16%; an additional tourism tax varies by room class

Convention Center: Borneo Convention Centre Kuching; exhibit space, 9,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 14.

CVB: Business Events Sarawak

Venue Additions & Renovations


COMMUNITY BUILDING
Sarawak's rich culture, natural surroundings and developing areas make it an ideal destination for CSR programs. Among the possibilities: Arrange an outing building homes for the poor, provide aid to underprivileged children or assist conservation groups that are protecting Borneo's rain forests and endangered orangutans. Business Events Sarawak can tailor activities for your group.

Last year saw the opening of the CIDB Convention Centre Sarawak, a striking venue that hovers over a pond and features tribal motifs on its floor-to-ceiling windows. Designed to blend into its lush surroundings, the location allows for natural cooling, and the open-wall interior takes advantage of natural light and wind. The venue’s main hall accommodates up to 800 people, and there are five meeting rooms whose capacities range from 10 to 100. An on-site bistro serves up to 120 people, buffet-style. The convention center is part of the 60acre CIDB Sarawak complex that includes sports facilities, restaurants and accommodations.

The first "smart building" in Sarawak, the Hikmah Exchange is expected to open this year with a new convention center; stay tuned for details on meeting rooms and banquet space. The venue will include shops, restaurants and galleries, as well as more than 1,000 parking spaces for visiting groups.

Borneo Samariang Convention Centre, in the northern part of Kuching, is currently under construction. It will be part of the mixed-use Borneo Samariang Resort City, with more than 2,000 guest rooms in properties such as the 546-room Arabian Bay Resort, plus a water park, a safari park and teambuilding facilities.

Work continues on the new Sarawak Museum Campus, scheduled to open this coming September. Hundreds of historical artifacts will be displayed in interactive exhibits; pedestrian walkways will connect to the old Sarawak Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Sarawak Art Museum. Covering more than 300,000 square feet of space, the facility is expected to be the second- largest museum in Southeast Asia.

 

Meeting Hotels and Event Venues

 

ON THE RISE
Kuching, Sarawak's capital, has enjoyed growing interest from event planners, rising from No. 75 in 2017 on ICCA's list of the most preferred cities for business events in the Asia-Pacific region, to No. 28 in 2018.

Kuching offers more than 5,000 guest rooms throughout the city. Properties with event space include the 389-room Pullman Kuching; 325-room Imperial Hotel Kuching; 315-room Hilton Kuching; 209-room UCSI Hotel, Kuching; and 208-room Waterfront Hotel. Sibu offers more than 900 rooms in properties such as the 226-room RH Hotel and 120-room Tanahmas Hotel.

Sarawak Cultural Village is a "living museum" that offers visiting groups a chance to experience the state's unique culture, music and architecture. Events held here can be enhanced with traditional costumed storytelling and performances; the ven- ue's highlights are replicas of historical homes such as the Bidayuh Longhouse (filled with gongs, drums and wooden masks) and the Melanau Tall House (built 40 feet above ground to protect it from crashing waves).

Sarawak's original administrative center and seat of government, built in 1871, is now a heritage site with space for private events. The Sarawak Tourism Complex features the New Orleans–style Pavilion Building, which houses the Sarawak Textile Museum; the Round Tower, home to the Sarawak Craft Council; and the colonial-baroque Clock Tower.