PETALING JAYA: The Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM) has urged the government to consider reopening the business events (BE), incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) sector urgently, under strict adherence to the standard operating procedures.

       The council said there is no reason to keep the BE sector closed if the arts and creative industries, including cinemas, art galleries and museums, can be reopened in the final quarter of 2021.

       Acting chairman Datuk Vincent Lim said in a statement that the BE sector contributed over RM27.5bil to the country’s gross domestic product in 2019.

       “The BE industry has been badly affected during over 18 months of restrictions.

       “It is now time to reopen these doors to allow us to create the jobs and revenue that is crucial for this last quarter of the year,” he said.