With Johor Baru serving as the host, Jimmy Leong, head of the Johor Tourist Guides Association, stated on Monday, November 6, that it will be a test for the state government and the tourism sector.

The president of the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council, Leong, continued, saying that local tour guides are getting ready to give the foreign delegations tours.

"If Johor's APCW is a success, it will present us with more chances to organize significant international events in the future that will draw a sizable number of visitors from abroad.

"Local councils need to ensure that the city is free of litter because these delegates will undoubtedly make comparisons between Singapore and us," he continued.

Meanwhile, Johor has 17,500 hotel rooms available for both domestic and foreign guests, according to Ivan Teo, chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Johor chapter.

According to him, the majority of hotel rooms are reserved because of the long weekend holiday and this Sunday's Deepavali celebrations (Nov 12).

"APCW, which is scheduled to take place here the day after Deepavali celebrations, is set to continue this trend," he stated.

Teo added that if the delegates wanted to take a tour, hotels in Johor Baru collaborate closely with tour operators.

He stated, "The hotels here are making the necessary arrangements to extend a warm welcome to these delegates and ensure that their stay is comfortable."

From November 13 to November 17, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the federal and Johor governments, and the APCW jointly organized the event.

The Persada Johor International Convention Centre is planned to host around 2,000 delegates from 150 nations during the event.

One of four regional climate weeks being held this year to gather steam before the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai is the Johor program.