KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia has called for a decisive shift from being merely halal-certified to becoming halal-competitive, as the country and ASEAN seek to capture greater opportunities in the global halal economy projected to reach USD5 trillion.
Delivering the keynote address at the World Halal Business Conference (WHBC 2026), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), YB Senator Dr. Zulkifli Hasan, said Malaysia's leadership in the global Islamic economy must translate into greater trade, investment, innovation and international business opportunities.
Malaysia retained the number one position in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI) for the 12th consecutive year, while its halal exports reached RM68.52 billion in 2025, growing 10.9 per cent year-on-year.
The Minister emphasised that Malaysia must move from halal-certified to halal-competitive, from market-ready to export-ready and from local players to global champions, with greater emphasis on commercialisation, international market access and participation in global value chains.
He also called for ASEAN to evolve beyond being a halal consumer market into an integrated production, investment, innovation, supply-chain and global trade hub. Malaysia will promote the proposal for an ASEAN Halal Council to strengthen regional cooperation and connectivity across the halal ecosystem.
The 18th edition of WHBC, organised by Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) as part of the Global Halal Summit (GHaS) 2026, also translated dialogue into tangible industry collaboration through two MOU exchanges.
HDC formalised a strategic collaboration with King's Park Development Sdn Bhd to strengthen the halal ecosystem through advisory, technical guidance and capacity-building initiatives.
Meanwhile, Tradewinds (M) Berhad and Saudi Arabia's Tanmiah Food Company signed an MOU to explore halal protein opportunities spanning production, sourcing, importation, further processing and distribution in Malaysia and Asia-Pacific region.
WHBC 2026 featured high-level discussions on halal diplomacy, the global Islamic economy, halal export commercialisation and Islamic finance, emphasising the need to translate Malaysia's halal strengths into greater international trade and investment opportunities.
The Minister said the future of the halal economy should ultimately be measured not only by the number of halal-certified products, but by the number of companies achieving global growth, investment attracted, value created, quality jobs generated and deeper integration into ASEAN and global value chains.
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Malaysia Calls for Shift from Halal-Certified to Halal-Competitive as ASEAN Targets USD5 Trillion Global Halal Economy
DA LAT, Vietnam, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent rebranding, Grand Mercure Dalat will host Butterflies in Bloom, a three-day destination wedding and wellness retreat for industry partners from 04 - 06 October 2026. Organised in collaboration with The Brand Promise, the programme brings together wedding planners, media, creative professionals and hospitality partners to explore how destination weddings in Vietnam are evolving towards more intentional ways of celebrating.
Where Weddings, Wellbeing and Place Come Together
Inspired by Da Lat's identity as the City of Flowers and the resort's garden setting, Butterflies in Bloom draws on the idea of growth and transition. The concept reflects a more considered approach to celebration, shaped by the growing influence of wellness and conscious living on the way people travel and spend time together. Rather than focusing only on the wedding day, it looks at the whole celebration and how the experience can feel more connected to the people and place around it.
Da Lat provides a suitable setting for this approach. Its slower rhythm and close relationship with nature are echoed throughout Grand Mercure Dalat, where landscaped gardens surround French-inspired architecture influenced by the Impressionist works of Claude Monet. Here, wellbeing can become part of the destination wedding experience naturally.
From Conversations to Experiences
At the heart of the retreat is the Wedding Talk under the theme The Conscious Celebration: Wellness and Sustainability in Vietnam's Destination Weddings. The sessions will look beyond the couple to consider the wellbeing of the wider team behind a wedding, while examining the role a destination can play in supporting more conscious choices. They will also consider how ideas of luxury are changing as personal relevance and a stronger sense of place become increasingly important to the way celebrations are designed.
The conversation continues beyond the Wedding Talk, with the three-day programme designed to let participants experience the ideas in practice. From exploring the resort's wedding potential to connecting with peers across the industry, the retreat brings together hosted moments, an outdoor cocktail reception and bridal wellness programming to show how wellbeing and hospitality can become part of the wider wedding journey.
The programme is supported by Rheinland-Pfalz.Gold and Yoga Pod, bringing their respective worlds of culture, culinary and wellness into the three-day experience. Their contributions are woven naturally into different moments of the retreat, from hosted dining and wedding styling to wellness-led programming.
Participation is available through invitation and registration. For programme and registration details, please visit the information package or follow the official communication channels of Grand Mercure Dalat and The Brand Promise.
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Grand Mercure Dalat unveils a new vision for Wellness and Destination Weddings
