Additional speakers for Pangkor International Marine Tourism Conference ‘22

 

                    Marina Island, the venue for PIMTC '22 and PTE '22 launch

By Laura Lee

With four days to go before the inaugural Pangkor International Marine Tourism Conference 2022 (PIMTC ‘22) starts, its organiser Perak Tourism Association (PTA) has announced that the event’s opening ceremony on 9 May evening at Marina Island will also witness the launch of Sail Malaysia Passage to the East (PTE) Yacht Rally 2022 aimed at promoting Malaysia by sea.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Seri Dr Santhara will be gracing the PIMTC ’22 opening ceremony-cum-dinner together with other dignitaries such as Perak chairman of the committee for housing, local government and tourism Dato’ Nolee Ashilin Dato’ Mohd Radzi and Cruise Marine Tourism Association Malaysia president Datuk Wira Syed Abdul Rahman Al-Habshi.

There will also be souvenir and special award presentations on that night.

Meanwhile, there has been some more recent changes to the conference’s line-up of speakers. This came about partly due to the postponement of PIMTC dates to 9-10 May from 26-29 March, says PTA coordinator SA Peter.

Apart from the keynote address on 10 May by PIMTC ‘22 advisor Dato’ Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab Beg, the full-day conference on 10 May will now have a total of seven speakers instead of five previously announced.

Conference speakers

Earlier speakers such as Italy-based Super Yacht captain Azizah Hanim Kamarudin and One15 Marina group general manager Brian Werner have been replaced by Prakash Reddy and Olivia Ooi.

Prakash, from Indonesia’s Nongsa Point Marina and Resort marina manager, will speak on marina management and organising boating activities for marina clubs while Olivia, Desaru Development Holding One Sdn Bhd general manager (sales and marketing) will update the conference participants on Desaru coastal development and ferry terminal facilities for yachts.

From the Marine Department Malaysia, its director for the northern region, Mohd Hafiz Abdul Majid will be touching on the department’s roles and responsibilities particularly for leisure vessels. He replaces Marine Department director-general Dato Baharin Dato’ Abdul Hamid as a speaker.

Meanwhile, Ts Dr Md Redzuan Zoolfakar and Adren Siow have been added to the speakers’ list. The former, an Associate Professor of Research & Innovation of Universiti Kuala Lumpur’s Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology, will speak on the role of technology in green leisure vessel design.

Association of Marine Industries of Malaysia honorary secretary Adren, who is also Samudra Shipyard & Engineering Sdn Bhd managing director, will delve on the Blue Economy: The multiplier effect of nautical marine tourism.

The remaining two speakers at PIMTC are Pangkor Marina operations director James Khoo on Managing cruising yachts in a Malaysian marina and its impact on local economy while Sail Malaysia founder Sazli Kamal Basha will touch on the ASEAN cruising agenda: Promoting Malaysia as part of the bigger picture.

Discovering Malaysia

Since PIMTC ’22 will be the first international event for Perak after Malaysia reopened its borders on 1 April, it is opportune that its participants and rally teams go on a sightseeing day trip on 11 May to visit certain parts of the silver state organised by PTA and the Perak state government.

The next morning, the rally teams will set sail from Pangkor Marina to other marine hotspots such as Desaru and Tioman in Peninsular Malaysia and thereafter to East Malaysia.

The rally is expected to arrive at Kuching or Santubong in Sarawak from 16-22 June, around the time of the three-day Rainforest World Music Festival from 17-19 June.

It will then proceed to Miri, Labuan, Tiga Island before arriving in Sabah, stopping over in places such as Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Turtle Islands, Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tun Sakaran Marine Park before concluding the rally in Tawau.