SIMUNJAN: The Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Ministry plans to organise 126 business events through the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) this year, with a potential return on investment worth RM734 million to rebuild the country’s tourism sector.

Its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said MOTAC has approved 141 applications for Tourism Sector Matching Grants (GSSP) and another 167 Cultural Sector Matching Grants (GSSK) applications amounting to RM20.5 million and RM20.75 million respectively to date.

"A total of 23 tourism events and programmes worth RM1 million and 29 Voluntourism programmes are being offered nationwide," she said at the launch of the new Voluntourism logo in Padang Sentral here yesterday.

Nancy cited the example of organising the Simunjan Voluntourism and Cultural Programme 2022, saying this can benefit the economies of many parties, especially locals.

Under the Voluntourism programme, run by MOTAC since Sept 2012, some 14,165 volunteers from all walks of life have been registered as of yesterday.

The programme was previously known as 1Malaysia Voluntourism, developed under the seventh initiative of the National Blue Ocean Strategy.

-- BERNAMA