QIU and Timah Heritage Sdn. Bhd. formalised their collaboration today through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) during the Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 Engagement Session and MOA Signing Ceremony, held at QIU’s La Place Café.
The event was graced by YB Jenny Choy, Deputy Speaker of the Perak State Legislative Assembly, as Guest of Honour. Her presence underscored the importance of partnerships that bring together education, tourism, culture, youth development and community engagement.
The MOA between QIU and Timah Heritage marks an important milestone in strengthening collaboration through the Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 platform. It reflects a shared commitment to promoting tourism, heritage, youth engagement, communication and meaningful learning opportunities for students.
Through this collaboration, QIU serves as the Knowledge & Youth Engagement Partner for Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026. The partnership aims to support not only the pageant’s tourism and cultural direction, but also the development of young people through experiential learning, public engagement and communication-based activities.
The programme included opening remarks by Ms Anita Phang, Co-Founder of Timah Heritage and Project Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant Organizing Chairperson; a sharing session by Co-Founder of Timah Heritage and Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 Ambassador, Mr Kingsley Ting; a speech by Mr Nicholas Goh, Chief Executive Officer of GITA and Chief Operating Officer of QIU; and an address by Guest of Honour, YB Jenny Choy; the MOA signing ceremony and performances by QIU students.
Speaking at the event, YB Jenny Choy said the collaboration reflects the importance of creating platforms that allow young people to engage with tourism, culture and community development in meaningful ways. “Tourism is not only about places; it is also about people, stories, culture and identity. Platforms such as Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 can play a meaningful role in encouraging young people to appreciate and represent our heritage with confidence. I am pleased to see QIU and Timah Heritage working together to create opportunities that connect youth, education, tourism and cultural promotion.”
YB Jenny added that partnerships between educational institutions and industry or community partners are important in preparing young people for real-world exposure. “When students are given opportunities to engage with real events, real organisations and real audiences, they gain experiences that go beyond the classroom. I hope this collaboration will continue to inspire more youth to take part in initiatives that promote Perak, Malaysia’s heritage and the development of future talent.”
Ms Anita Phang said the MOA represents a meaningful step towards connecting the pageant with youth, education and tourism communication. “Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 is not only a pageant platform. It is also a platform for confidence, culture, communication and tourism promotion. Through this collaboration with QIU, we hope to engage young people in a more meaningful way and encourage them to see tourism and heritage as something they can represent, communicate and be proud of.”
She added that the partnership with QIU allows the pageant to reach students not only as an audience, but also as future communicators, content creators and professionals.
Mr Nicholas Goh, Chief Executive Officer of GITA and Chief Operating Officer of QIU, said the MOA reflects QIU’s commitment to learning beyond the classroom.
“At QIU, we believe that meaningful learning happens when students are exposed to real organisations, real audiences and real professional expectations. This MOA with Timah Heritage allows us to strengthen opportunities for students to gain practical exposure in event support, communication, content creation and public engagement.”
He said the collaboration is especially relevant to QIU’s role as Knowledge & Youth Engagement Partner. “The Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 platform provides a valuable space for students to understand how tourism, culture, confidence and communication come together in a public-facing event. As Knowledge & Youth Engagement Partner, QIU is pleased to support this initiative and to create opportunities for students to learn, contribute and grow through industry-linked collaboration.”
As part of the collaboration, undergraduates from QIU’s School of Communication are involved in supporting the event through programme coordination, media documentation, content creation, communication support and event-related tasks.
The student involvement reflects QIU’s emphasis on experiential learning, where students are able to apply classroom knowledge in real professional settings. The School of Communication will also contribute to the journey towards the Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 National Finals by providing a workshop for finalists before the finale. This initiative further strengthens the link between academic knowledge, communication training, confidence-building and industry engagement.
The engagement session also provided an opportunity for interested participants to learn more about the Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 journey and contestant registration. Students and guests were introduced to the pageant as a platform that celebrates confidence, cultural awareness, communication skills and the promotion of Malaysia’s tourism identity.
As part of the strategic collaboration with Quest International University (QIU), the Top Three Winners of the Miss Malaysia Tourism Pageant 2026 will each receive a scholarship sponsored by QIU, reflecting the University’s commitment to empowering young talents through education, lifelong learning, and leadership development.
