{"id":47840,"date":"2026-07-18T18:02:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/?p=47840"},"modified":"2026-07-18T18:02:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:02:04","slug":"mybha-concludes-successful-trade-mission-to-bangkok-strengthening-malaysia-thailand-tourism-hospitality-and-business-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/?p=47840","title":{"rendered":"MYBHA\u00ae CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL TRADE MISSION TO BANGKOK, STRENGTHENING MALAYSIA\u2013THAILAND TOURISM, HOSPITALITY AND BUSINESS COOPERATION"},"content":{"rendered":"

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 July 2026 \u2014 The
\nMalaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA\u00ae)<\/a> has successfully
\nconcluded its Trade Mission to Bangkok, Thailand, held from 14th to 17th July
\n2026, marking another significant step in the Association’s efforts to
\nstrengthen Malaysia’s international tourism and hospitality cooperation, expand
\ncross-border business opportunities and build strategic relationships with key
\nregional and global industry stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nmission brought together a series of strategic engagements encompassing the
\nsigning of three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) during the VMY2026 Seminar
\n& Networking Session Bangkok hosted by Tourism Malaysia Bangkok,
\nparticipation in an international Halal trade exhibition as Hosted Buyers,
\ntourism industry exposure activities, and courtesy visits to the headquarters
\nof Agoda<\/a> and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nmission formed part of MyBHA\u00ae’s broader commitment to positioning its members
\nwithin the regional tourism and business ecosystem while supporting the
\nobjectives of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) and promoting Malaysia as a
\ncompetitive and preferred tourism destination.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae
\nNational President, Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel, said the successful conclusion of
\nthe mission demonstrated the importance of direct international engagement in
\ncreating meaningful opportunities for Malaysia’s tourism and hospitality
\nindustry.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This
\nTrade Mission was not merely about visiting Bangkok. It was about building
\nbridges, establishing strategic partnerships, understanding regional tourism developments
\nand opening new doors for our members and Malaysia’s tourism industry.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Tourism
\ntoday is interconnected. Hotels, travel agencies, technology platforms,
\nwellness providers, trade organisations and international tourism bodies must
\nwork together. By engaging directly with our counterparts in Thailand, we are
\nbuilding relationships that can translate into greater tourist arrivals,
\nbusiness opportunities, investment, knowledge exchange and long-term industry
\ngrowth,”<\/i> he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

THREE STRATEGIC INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u00a0A
\nmajor milestone of the Trade Mission was the signing of three strategic
\nMemoranda of Understanding between MyBHA\u00ae and leading tourism and business
\norganisations from Thailand during the Visit Malaysia 2026 Seminar &
\nNetworking Session organised by Tourism Malaysia Bangkok.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nagreements were signed with the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA)<\/a>, the Thai
\nMedical and Wellness Tourism Association (TMWTA)<\/a> and CHG Global Organization
\n(CHG)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nsigning ceremony was witnessed by Pn. Nurul Ain Mohammed Yunus, Director of
\nTourism Malaysia Bangkok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nMoUs were signed by Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel, National President of MyBHA\u00ae, with Ms.
\nTassanee Kiatkamchornchai, Vice President of the Thai Travel Agents Association
\n(TTAA), and Dr. Anusak Kongmalai, President of the Thai Medical and Wellness
\nTourism Association (TMWTA).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nthird MoU was signed between Dato’ Sri K. Vijayendren, Chairman of the MyBHA\u00ae
\nNational Foreign Trade Affairs Bureau, and Mr. Jacky Ong, Founder and Chairman
\nof CHG Global Organization (CHG).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nagreements establish a long-term framework for cooperation in tourism
\nexchanges, business and investment opportunities, exhibitions, conferences,
\nnetworking programmes, market intelligence, industry research, advocacy and
\npromotional initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

They
\nalso provide a platform to connect MyBHA\u00ae member hotels with Thai travel
\nagencies and tourism stakeholders, with the objective of positioning Malaysia’s
\nbudget and business hotels as preferred accommodation options for Thai leisure
\nand business travellers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under
\nthe agreements, the participating organisations will mutually recognise one
\nanother as International Industry Partners<\/b>, strengthening institutional
\nrelationships and enabling the promotion of collaborative activities, members and
\ninitiatives through official communication channels, events, publications,
\ndigital platforms and international business missions.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\npartnership with TTAA is expected to strengthen Malaysia’s presence within
\nThailand’s outbound tourism market by creating closer connections between
\nMalaysian accommodation providers and Thai travel agencies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\ncollaboration with TMWTA opens opportunities in the growing medical and
\nwellness tourism sector, including potential integrated tourism programmes,
\nprofessional exchanges, industry networking and cross-border business
\nopportunities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,
\nthe partnership with CHG Global Organization is expected to facilitate greater
\nbusiness cooperation through exhibitions, conferences, investment missions,
\nbusiness matching and international networking activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr
\nSri Ganesh said the agreements represent practical platforms for long-term
\ncooperation rather than ceremonial partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Through
\nthese partnerships, we are building an ecosystem where hotels, travel agencies,
\nwellness providers, investors and business organisations can connect and work
\ntogether.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

“Our
\nobjective is to transform international relationships into real opportunities
\nthat benefit our members while contributing to Malaysia’s tourism growth and
\nregional economic cooperation,”<\/i>
\nhe said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae
\nalso recorded its appreciation to Tourism Malaysia Bangkok, particularly its
\nDirector, Pn. Nurul Ain Mohammed Yunus, for facilitating industry engagement
\nand supporting initiatives that strengthen tourism cooperation and connectivity
\nbetween Malaysia and Thailand.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

MYBHA\u00ae PARTICIPATES AS HOSTED BUYERS AT MEGA HALAL BANGKOK 2026\u00a0<\/h2>\n

As
\npart of the Trade Mission, MyBHA\u00ae representatives also attended and
\nparticipated as Hosted Buyers at MEGA HALAL Bangkok 2026 which was held from 15th
\nto 17th July 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\ninternational event brought together Halal entrepreneurs, exhibitors, buyers,
\nindustry leaders and business partners, providing a platform for international
\nbusiness networking, trade discussions and the exploration of new commercial
\nopportunities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nexhibition featured a diverse range of Halal products and services across
\nsectors including food and beverages, health and wellness, beauty and personal
\ncare, fashion and apparel, reflecting the growing economic potential of the
\nglobal Halal industry.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae’s
\nparticipation provided an opportunity to explore potential synergies between
\nthe Halal economy and Malaysia’s tourism and hospitality sectors, particularly
\nin the areas of Muslim-friendly tourism, Halal hospitality products and
\nservices, wellness tourism and cross-border business cooperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During
\nthe event, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between MyBHA\u00ae
\nand Comasia Limited, aimed at establishing a framework for future collaboration
\nin events, exhibitions and related business initiatives that may create
\nopportunities and benefits for MyBHA\u00ae members. The MoU was signed on behalf of
\nMyBHA\u00ae by Dato’ Sri K. Vijayendren, Chairman of the MyBHA\u00ae National Foreign
\nTrade Affairs Bureau, and Mr Henry Fong, General Manager of Comasia Limited<\/a>,
\nrepresenting the organiser. The collaboration is expected to facilitate greater
\nparticipation, business networking and industry engagement for MyBHA\u00ae members
\nin future events and exhibitions organised or facilitated by Comasia Limited.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nHosted Buyer programme also enabled the Association to engage with
\ninternational suppliers, entrepreneurs and industry stakeholders while
\nidentifying products, services and potential partnerships that could create
\nvalue for Malaysia’s budget and business hotel industry.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

EXPERIENCING BANGKOK’S TOURISM ECOSYSTEM\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Beyond
\nformal meetings and business engagements, the Trade Mission also provided
\nparticipants with opportunities to experience and observe Bangkok’s tourism and
\nhospitality ecosystem firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among
\nthe tourism experiences was an exploration of the Chao Phraya River and
\nBangkok’s river-based tourism environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nexperience allowed participants to observe how tourism products, attractions,
\ntransportation, hospitality services and urban destinations can be integrated
\nto create memorable visitor experiences.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae
\nbelieves that international exposure of this nature is valuable for industry
\nrepresentatives as it allows participants to experience tourism products as
\nvisitors themselves, observe international practices and return with new
\nperspectives and ideas that may be adapted to strengthen Malaysia’s own tourism
\nand hospitality offerings.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

COURTESY VISIT TO AGODA\u2019S OPERATIONAL HEADQUARTERS.\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u00a0On
\n16 July 2026, MyBHA\u00ae paid a courtesy visit to the Agoda\u2019s Operational Headquarters
\nand it\u2019s largest office at Tower 5, One Bangkok, Thailand, as part of its
\nongoing engagement with key stakeholders in the digital travel and hospitality
\necosystem.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr
\nSri Ganesh Michiel, together with Mr Yogendran Devarajan, Chairman of the
\nMyBHA\u00ae National Technical & Government Liaison Bureau, was received by Mr
\nGlenn Chau, Director of Supply, Agoda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nmeeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the evolving hospitality
\nlandscape, digital transformation, online travel trends, market developments
\nand potential areas of cooperation involving Malaysia’s budget and business
\nhotel sector.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\ndiscussions reflected the increasingly important role of digital platforms
\nwithin the tourism ecosystem and the need for continuous engagement between
\naccommodation providers and technology-driven travel platforms.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae
\nviews constructive engagement with industry stakeholders as essential in
\naddressing the evolving needs of accommodation operators, travellers and the
\nwider tourism economy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nAssociation looks forward to continued engagement with Agoda in areas that can
\nsupport innovation, industry development, sustainable growth and a more
\nconnected hospitality ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

COURTESY VISIT TO PACIFIC ASIA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION (PATA)\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The
\nTrade Mission continued on 17th July 2026 with a courtesy visit to
\nthe Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Headquarters in Bangkok.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr
\nSri Ganesh Michiel and Mr Yogendran Devarajan were received by Mr Noor Ahmad
\nHamid, Chief Executive Officer of PATA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Discussions
\nalso highlighted the importance of sustainable tourism development, industry partnerships,
\nknowledge sharing and stronger engagement among tourism stakeholders in
\nenhancing regional connectivity and creating new opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As
\none of the region’s prominent tourism organisations, PATA plays an important
\nrole in bringing together public and private sector stakeholders within the
\nAsia-Pacific tourism economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae
\nsees significant value in strengthening its relationship with regional and
\ninternational tourism organisations as part of its efforts to ensure that
\nMalaysia’s budget and business hotel sector remains connected to wider industry
\ndevelopments and opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

BUILDING INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS FOR MALAYSIAN HOTELS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Reflecting
\non the overall Trade Mission, Dr Sri Ganesh said MyBHA\u00ae’s international or
\nregional \u00a0engagement strategy is
\nultimately focused on creating opportunities that can deliver tangible benefits
\nto its members and the wider Malaysian tourism industry.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

“International
\npartnerships must ultimately create value. For MyBHA\u00ae, this means bringing more
\nvisitors to Malaysia, creating new business connections for our members,
\nstrengthening access to international markets, exchanging knowledge and
\nensuring that our industry continues to evolve alongside regional and global
\ndevelopments.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

“Malaysia
\nand Thailand are close neighbours and important tourism partners. There is
\ntremendous potential for both countries to complement each other rather than
\ncompete in isolation. By encouraging two-way tourism, business exchanges and
\nstronger industry-to-industry relationships, we can contribute towards growing
\nthe tourism economy of the entire region,”<\/i> he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He
\nadded that the mission also reflected the need for Malaysian tourism industry
\nassociations to become more proactive in establishing their own international
\nnetworks.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We
\ncannot wait for opportunities to come to us. The industry must actively build
\nrelationships, participate in international platforms and create opportunities
\nfor collaboration.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

“This
\nTrade Mission has allowed MyBHA\u00ae to engage across multiple dimensions of the
\ntourism economy, from travel agencies and medical and wellness tourism to
\ninternational trade, the Halal economy, digital travel platforms and regional
\ntourism organisations.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

“Each
\nengagement has its own strategic value, but collectively they contribute
\ntowards one objective: strengthening the position of Malaysia’s tourism and
\nhospitality industry internationally.”<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

SUPPORTING VISIT MALAYSIA 2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u00a0As
\nMalaysia continues with the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, MyBHA\u00ae believes that
\ninternational industry cooperation will play an important role in strengthening
\nMalaysia’s visibility and attracting more international visitors.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nAssociation remains committed to supporting national tourism objectives by
\nstrengthening international partnerships, promoting Malaysia’s accommodation
\nsector, encouraging cross-border tourism exchanges and connecting its members
\nwith new markets and business opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The
\nconclusion of the Trade Mission marks the beginning of the next phase of
\nengagement, with MyBHA\u00ae intending to follow through on the partnerships and
\ndiscussions established during the mission through future working committees,
\nbusiness matching programmes, industry exchanges, exhibitions, promotional
\nactivities and other collaborative initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

MyBHA\u00ae
\nwill continue to strengthen its international network and establish meaningful
\npartnerships that contribute towards increasing tourist arrivals, expanding
\nopportunities for its members and enhancing Malaysia’s competitiveness as a
\nleading tourism and hospitality destination in the region.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2014
\nEND \u2014<\/p>\n

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 July 2026 \u2014 The Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA\u00ae) has successfully concluded its Trade Mission to Bangkok, Thailand, held from 14th to 17th July 2026, marking another significant step in the Association’s efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s international tourism and hospitality cooperation, expand cross-border business opportunities and build strategic relationships with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-malaysia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}