Kota Kinabalu, 5 November 2025 — The highly anticipated 25th Sabah Hospitality Fiesta (SHF 2025) will take place from 21 to 23 November 2025 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), marking a significant milestone as the event celebrates 25 years of excellence in Sabah’s hospitality and tourism industry.
Jointly organised by the Asian Tourism International College (ATI College), the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Sabah and Labuan Chapter, and the Sabah International Convention Centre, this milestone edition celebrates a quarter-century of growth, innovation, and collaboration across the state’s dynamic hospitality landscape.
The 2025 edition also welcomes an international partnership with China Malaysia Commercial Operation Management (Henan) Co. Ltd., marking an important step toward strengthening regional collaboration and expanding opportunities between Malaysia and China in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
Since its inception in 1997, the Sabah Hospitality Fiesta has evolved into one of the region’s most respected platforms for celebrating culinary creativity and service excellence. The three-day event will feature a series of competitions and networking activities, attracting participants from leading hotels, restaurants, and educational institutions throughout Malaysia and beyond.
To commemorate its silver jubilee, SHF 2025 will feature over 20 competition categories, including the Borneo Platter, Pastry Showpiece, and the enhanced Hot Cooking Challenge. This year’s competition format has been refreshed to inspire greater creativity and self-expression, allowing participants to highlight their culinary identity and technical mastery. The traditional “Black Box” format has been replaced with an open-style challenge that encourages innovation and artistry in professional cooking.
In line with growing participation, the number of competitors has also been increased, giving more professionals and students the opportunity to showcase their skills at Sabah’s premier hospitality event.
The Sabah Hospitality Fiesta 2025 proudly recognises Nestlé Professional as the Main Sponsor. A long-time partner since the early years of SHF, Nestlé Professional has consistently supported the Fiesta through sponsorship, product innovation, and industry expertise. Its enduring partnership has been instrumental in raising professional standards and nurturing future culinary and hospitality talent in Sabah.
The organisers also extend their heartfelt appreciation to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah (KePKAS) for its continuous support and endorsement, which have helped maintain SHF as a key state-level event promoting both tourism growth and human capital development.
Acknowledgement is also extended to the Sabah Tourism Board and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) for their valuable contributions to this year’s event. Their involvement reflects a strong collaborative effort to strengthen Sabah’s tourism and hospitality ecosystem.
In conjunction with the Fiesta’s 25th anniversary, this year will also see the introduction of the first-ever Sabah Hospitality Expo (SOHEX 2025) — marking a new chapter for the event as it expands beyond competitions into a broader platform for industry engagement and collaboration.
SOHEX 2025 will bring together hospitality suppliers, tourism partners, service providers, and international participants under one roof, creating new opportunities for business networking, knowledge sharing, and innovation within the hospitality and tourism sectors.
The expo is expected to feature around 120 booths with exhibitors from Malaysia, China, Thailand, Brunei, and Indonesia, showcasing a wide range of products, services, and technologies that reflect the evolving landscape of the regional hospitality industry.
China Malaysia Commercial Operation Management (Henan) Co., Ltd. joins as a strategic partner for SOHEX 2025, supporting efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and build sustainable business connections between Malaysia and China.
SOHEX 2025 is supported by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), as well as the Sabah Convention Bureau. Both agencies play an important role in promoting Sabah as a growing destination for conventions, exhibitions, and business events.
Together, these collaborations position SOHEX 2025 as a meaningful extension of the Fiesta — a platform that not only celebrates hospitality excellence but also drives progress, innovation, and partnerships across borders.
Through these partnerships and collaborations, SHF 2025 continues to uphold its mission to inspire excellence, encourage innovation, and strengthen Sabah’s position as a centre for world-class hospitality and tourism.
Members of the public, industry professionals, and partners are invited to experience the competitions, exhibitions, and networking sessions at SHF and SOHEX 2025, as Sabah proudly celebrates 25 years of culinary mastery and hospitality excellence.
