KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing admits mistake over the liquor controversy surrounding the Global Travel Meet gala dinner, acknowledging that he should have clarified the event earlier.

During the Dewan Rakyat question-and-answer session, Tiong expressed regret that the serving of alcoholic beverages at the dinner had sparked public discomfort and misunderstanding.

“I should have announced that the gala dinner was in fact a private event. But because I failed to do so, the public mistakenly believed it was organized by Tourism Malaysia.

“I admit I made a mistake for not explaining earlier,” he said in response to a question from PAS’ Dungun MP Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli.

“On behalf of the ministry, I take full responsibility and express regret for any confusion or misunderstanding that has caused discomfort among the public. We are also sorry for any inconvenience caused,” he said.

The Global Travel Meet was initially an official event by the Tourism Ministry, but to reduce government spending, the ministry decided to collaborate with industry players who later agreed to bear the event costs.

“They asked for some time, and after earning over RM420 million in revenue, they said they would take over the dinner. Therefore, the dinner became a private event,” he said.

Tiong admitted that he should have ensured that the backdrop on stage was changed earlier—replacing the Tourism Malaysia logo with that of private and industry organizers.

“I made a mistake because the backdrop still displayed the Tourism Malaysia logo even though the dinner was attended by industry representatives.

“It was not an official government event but a private one. Thus, the official circulars did not apply, including those related to the serving of alcohol,” he said.

“Nevertheless, both the ministry and I deeply regret the confusion or misunderstanding caused, and we take full responsibility.”

Tiong stressed that no alcoholic beverages had ever been served at any official Tourism Ministry events in the past.

“For example, at the GTM 2025 event held at World Trade Center Kuala Lumpur and the World Tourism Conference 2025 in Melaka, there were gala dinners—but was alcohol served? No.

“Has any ministry event ever served alcohol? No. We understand that under the Ministry of Finance’s circular, alcoholic beverages are prohibited at official functions,” he said.

Tiong urged the public not to make insulting remarks, unfounded accusations, or politicize the matter.

He added that the ministry values all public feedback on the issue and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for his constructive advice and guidance.

“The Tourism Ministry assures that all future official events will strictly comply with government guidelines,” he said.

Responding to a question from Sri Aman MP Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodi from GPS, Tiong said the Global Travel Meet attracted nearly 600 international tourism industry participants and generated a total transaction value of RM420 million over the three-day event.