2023 is a milestone year for the Borneo Bulletin Yearbook (BBYB) as it marks 30 years of being the most comprehensive guide to Brunei Darussalam since 1993.
Published annually by Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, the BBYB provides insights into initiatives implemented by the government to support the growth of key industries across various sectors in Brunei. It also provides updates on Brunei’s economic outlook, future development plans, latest names and designations of key government personnel, fast facts on population, import/ export figures and gross domestic product growth.
Available in print and online, the yearbook is distributed via redemption in Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata newspapers. The yearbook is also distributed to commercial and industrial sectors, professional bodies, trade organisations, government institutions, hotels, embassies, Brunei High Commissions worldwide and foreign missions in the country.
In 2017, the BBYB Networking Session was launched in response to feedback from partners. These sessions provide a common place for key figures from the government, public and private sectors to meet, discuss and exchange ideas centred on the country’s economic diversification efforts. Since then, it has gained momentum and is looked forward to yearly.
The BBYB Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Showcase was launched in 2020 as an extension of the range of events for the BBYB Networking Session. The event showcased some of the country’s inspirational entrepreneurship success stories to the public, while also allowing budding entrepreneurs to engage and learn through an extensive network of business support, ideas and solutions.
With a circulation of over 50,000 copies, the yearbook has become a sought-after guide to the country’s business arena. As of August 2022, the BBYB website registered 2.2 million page views and six million hits.
The yearbook’s success for the past three decades can be attributed to the demand for key in-depth information on the Abode of Peace, and Brunei Press through its corporate social responsibility initiative to give back to the community.
In conjunction with its 30th publication, this year’s BBYB features the theme ‘Building the Future’. A notable highlight of this year’s edition is a special section on successful business leaders and inspirational local youth as they contribute towards shaping the future of Brunei.
The 30th anniversary logo incorporates turning pages to symbolise the yearbook’s role as the trusted business guide to Brunei, and it will continue to serve its readers for many years to come.
2023 is also a landmark year for the Borneo Bulletin, which will be celebrating its 70th anniversary as the leading English daily in Brunei.
The Borneo Bulletin was first published in 1953 as a weekly community newspaper for expatriates working in the Belait District. In 1959, the founders of Borneo Bulletin sold the press and newspaper to the Straits Times of Singapore. At that time, the weekly Borneo Bulletin consisted of 12 pages and had a circulation of 3,500 copies.
In 1985, Brunei’s first public listed company QAF took over part of the shares of Brunei Press from the Straits Times. Five years later in September 1990, the Borneo Bulletin became a fully-fledged daily newspaper, with QAF acquiring full ownership. The change saw remarkable success and Borneo Bulletin became the most effective mass market medium in Brunei.
At present, the circulation per issue averages 25,000 copies daily and 30,000 copies over the weekend. The Borneo Bulletin also has a strong digital presence, with over 198,000 followers on Instagram at the time of writing and an average of 3.3 million impressions on the website monthly.
The Borneo Bulletin is the main source of information on local, regional and foreign affairs, as well as business news. Detailed stock market reports of the Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and regional stock exchanges are carried for the benefit of Bruneian businessmen and investors. In addition to the more serious news, the newspaper carries sports, lifestyle and leisure pages. From a modest weekly news-sheet which started in 1953, Borneo Bulletin is the most trusted, most influential and the foremost print media in the Sultanate today, with a steadily growing loyal readership
Copyright 1993 Borneo Bulletin Yearbook All rights reserved.
