A total of 30 companies from Malaysia have been recognised as award winners at the ASEAN Food & Travel Awards 2022.
The inaugural annual awards ceremony organised by culinary and tourism portal, ASEAN Food & Travel in collaboration with Top 10 of Asia and NiagaTimes was organized to celebrate the culinary and tourism industry players in the Southeast Asian region who remain committed in managing their businesses to ensure the country’s economy remained resilient despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Programmes like this play a role as a motivator for local entrepreneurs to improve their performance and encourage them to assist in the country’s economic development, said the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
According to Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, all parties will also indirectly realize that the role of entrepreneurs is very important in the rise and fall of a country’s economy.
“Therefore, the implementation of this programme can be considered as a great achievement to inject entrepreneurial spirit among the community.
“We at MOTAC will also ensure that all efforts and initiatives of the National Tourism Policy 2020-2030 will continue to be implemented. In fact, the Tourism Recovery Plan has now been intensified for the benefit of all parties, further helping the country in accelerating the economic recovery phase,” she said.
Managing Editor of RHA Media, Lee Seng Chee said, the award themed ‘Honoring Outstanding Malaysian SMEs in the Food & Travel Industry’ saw a total of 10 award categories such as hospitality, restaurants, food and beverage, health facilities, beauty centers, travel agencies and others that were presented at the ceremony.
For the highest recognition, ‘Best Hospital for Medical Tourism’, the recipient of the award is Gleneagles Hospital Medini Johor.
“The healthcare hub, which has been open since 2015, is recognised based on its excellent services and contributions in the country’s health industry. The credibility of Gleneagles Hospital Medini Johor with its world-class facilities and medical specialists, is not only the preferred choice of Malaysians, but also Singaporeans.
“Another recipient of the highest award for ‘Malaysia’s Food & Beverage Brand of the Year’ is Me’nate Steak Hub. This western-style chain restaurant has seen exponential growth.
“The sales value of this company in 2021 reached RM41 million. Apart from operating through its 9 branches nationwide, its customer-friendly service and reasonable prices are well recognised by foreign tourists,” he explained.
Other award recipients from Malaysia include Datuk N. Subramaniam (President of the Malaysian Association of Hotels), Hisham Tan Abdullah (President of the Malaysian Food and Beverage Executive Association), Datuk Fazley Yaakob (celebrity Masterchef) and Anis Nabilah (celebrity chef).
Also present at the event were Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Zainuddin Abdul Wahab; Chief Executive Officer of RHA Media, Datuk R. Rajendran and Asean Food & Travel’s Director of Corporate Communications, Helis Muda.