19/05/2026
𝗠𝗪𝗧𝗚𝗔 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵
KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Women Tourist Guides Association (MWTGA) successfully celebrated its 20th Anniversary Celebration on 15 May 2026 at The LINC KL, Kuala Lumpur, bringing together approximately 200 participants, including tourism professionals, government agencies, embassies, industry partners, students, media representatives, and members of the public.
Held under the theme ‘𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝟮𝟬 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲’, the celebration highlighted MWTGA’s two decades of contributions towards professional tourism guiding, women empowerment, industry advocacy, and sustainable tourism development in Malaysia.
The programme included forums, exhibitions, networking sessions, and industry discussions on technology-driven tourism, immersive storytelling, cultural heritage, responsible tourism practices, and tourism innovation aligned with Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙔𝙗𝙧𝙨. 𝙀𝙣. 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙖 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙬𝙖, 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮-𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 (𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢), emphasized the importance of balancing technological advancement with authentic human connection in tourism.
In his speech, he highlighted that Visit Malaysia Year 2026 aims to showcase Malaysia’s diverse natural attractions, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant tourism offerings while driving inclusive growth and long-term value for local communities and industry stakeholders.
He further shared that specialist tourist guides will continue to play a critical role in delivering meaningful storytelling, cultural interpretation, and authentic visitor experiences.
“𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨,” said YBrs. Encik Chua Choon Hwa during the officiating ceremony.
Event Highlights
✅ The Opening Ceremony event was officiated by Ybrs. En. Chua Choon Hwa, Deputy Secretary-General (Tourism)
✅ 20 embassies’ presence honours the event.
✅ 10 speakers and panelists participated in the knowledge-sharing sessions and forums.
✅ 13 exhibitors and partners joined the T.O.U.R.I.S.T exhibition showcase.
✅ Official launch of the new MWTGA webpage and betourist.guide tourism platform.
✅ Recognition and appreciation awards presented to long-serving MWTGA members.
✅ Participation and support from tourism agencies, educational institutions, and tourism stakeholders.
“𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮, 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙨. 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙨,” - Puan Erina Loo Siew Meng, Chairwoman of MWTGA.
MWTGA extends its heartfelt gratitude to its sponsors, including The Linc Development Sdn Bhd, and all participating vendors who made this milestone a resounding success.
As MWTGA moves into its next chapter, the association remains committed to advancing professional standards, empowering tourism communities, and contributing towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and digitally connected tourism industry in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
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About MWTGA
Founded in 2006, the Malaysian Women Tourist Guide Association (MWTGA) is a non-profit tourism association supporting tourist guides in Malaysia. In 2017, the association expanded its membership to include male tourist guides as association members, fostering greater inclusivity and diversity within the organization. The association advocates professional growth, continuous learning, tourism safety, cultural preservation, and sustainable tourism practices.