Malaysia likely to receive more trade, investment delegations in 2H

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is likely to receive more trade and investment delegations in the second half of the year (2H22), the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) said.

Founding chairman Nordin Abdullah said Malaysia could expect a considerable return of business travellers over the next few months as the country remains a popular business destination in Asean.

He said Malaysia is popular among business travellers due to its domestic economic growth prospect in the coming years, as well as access to the broader Asean market.

“Besides, air connectivity, high-quality business accommodation at competitive prices, as well as the English speaking business community have become the catalyst for them to chose Malaysia as a business destination,” he said in a statement.

Nordin noted that over 50 per cent of international business chambers and industry associations surveyed were considering sending exploratory teams to Malaysia, with a view of sending full business delegations to the country in 2H22.

He said a similar percentage of senior level business development professionals believe that in-person meetings were more impactful to develop relationship, after having to rely on virtual meetings to conduct business development activities over the last two years.

He added that the domestic political dynamic remains of interest in terms of addressing gaps in understanding within international businesses looking to expand to Malaysia.

Communication and engagement with the international business community remains important to ensure that the stipulated standard operating procedures are understood as many will be travelling from countries with vast differences in terms of their Covid-19 response, he added.