Tourism tailwinds set to lift NWE Resources' hospitality business

KUALA LUMPUR: NWE Resources Group Bhd expects its hospitality amenities business to benefit from the extension of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign into 2027, supported by an anticipated increase in hotel orders and the government's tourism promotion efforts.

Executive director Tan Chor Han said hotel orders rose in the second half of 2026 after a mixed first half, partly due to the Middle East conflict.

"We do foresee that coming into 2027, where Visit Malaysia has been extended, it will help us, coupled with the government allocation of RM935 million for tourism, which is expected to support the industry," he told the media in conjunction with its listing ceremony here, on Wednesday.

At the opening gong, the company opened at 22 sen on its debut in the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia, a premium of two sen over the initial public offering (IPO) price of 20 sen, with 22.59 million shares traded.

NWE Resources, a hospitality amenities, personal care products and health food provider, is also stepping up its environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives through sustainable product offerings.

Tan said the company works with hotels to reduce plastic waste by supplying refillable large-format bottles and wooden toothbrushes as alternatives to plastic products and by collaborating with some hotels on recycling initiatives as part of its efforts to support their sustainability commitments.

"For our own business-to-consumer (B2C) channel, what we are looking at is, of course, reducing packaging waste and also implementing a solar initiative following its IPO to reduce energy consumption," he said.

He also said the company plans to set up a sales office in Johor to support its existing distributors and strengthen its business growth across Malaysia.

The company has allocated RM9.1 million for new product development and RM1.2 million to expand its research and development capabilities, with products expected to launch over the next 24 months.

"We have at least 11 products in the pipeline, comprising six health food products focusing on gut health and five skincare products, including serums, sunblock and moisturisers, which are expected to contribute to our revenue and profitability," he added.