A NEW international expo aimed at connecting Malaysia’s textile, tourism, fashion and cultural industries with global markets held its soft-launch in Kuala Lumpur.
The three-day Malaysia International Textile and Tourism Expo (MITTE) 2026 will take place in November and also feature a digital and cultural tourism business exchange component to connect Malaysian businesses with international markets.
MITTE 2026 founder and chairman Kaylye Chan said the expo would go beyond a conventional textile exhibition by bringing together textiles, fashion, manufacturing, culture, tourism and international trade.
“We hope that through MITTE, we can connect Malaysian businesses with international buyers, investors, manufacturers, tourism players and potential partners, creating more meaningful and substantive business matching opportunities,” she said.
Malaysia Fashion, Modeling and Pageant Association (MFMPA) chairman Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah said bringing textiles and tourism together could create an opportunity for textile tourism.
“Tourists can come to Malaysia not only for sightseeing, but also to see and buy our textiles,” he said.
Rashidi also highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships and cooperation between government agencies and industry players in developing the textile industry.
Kraftangan Malaysia senior director Khairul Hafizi Naharuddin said the agency supported initiatives to promote and elevate the Malaysian craft industry.
He said Malaysia has a wide range of traditional crafts that could be further promoted and commercialised.
“People know about batik and songket, but there is actually much more that we can showcase and commercialise, like the traditional weaves from Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
MITTE 2026 will run from Nov 20 to 22 at Hall 5 of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).
