KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is aiming for RM350mil in sales during the 53rd MATTA Fair here from Sept 1-3.
MATTA president Nigel Wong said it was a "modest" increase of an additional RM50mil in sales made during the previous edition of the fair in March.
"We have about 1,300 booths this time. We are targeting 220,000 visitors this time, an increase from the 200,000 achieved previously," he said when met after the launch of the travel fair at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here on Friday (Sept 1).
Wong said that domestic travel is expected to contribute some RM70mil, almost double the previous RM35mil in sales in March, saying that there were many new tourism products.
"From the domestic tour hall, there are many new and creative products and offers.
"People's travel habits have also changed and more are eager to explore their own backyard," he said, adding the trend could be due to widely promoted domestic tourism during the pandemic.
"People realise that Malaysia has a lot to offer – and they don't have to blow their budgets to go for a holiday," he said.
For the convenience of visitors to the fair, Wong said free shuttle bus services would be provided at two locations – KL Sentral and Sunway Putra Mall – that depart for Mitec every 10 minutes from Sept 1-3.
Traffic policemen, he said, would also be on duty at strategic intersections near the venue to ease traffic flow.
Also present at the launch were Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry secretary-general Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman, who represented minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing; Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board director-general Datuk Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar; Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Azrul Shah Mohamad and other guests of honour.
In his speech that was read out by Roslan, Tiong said the ministry had allocated RM25mil through the Tourism Sector Support Grant to fuel and reinvigorate the tourism sector.
"To date, the ministry has received 300 applications from industry players.
"Thanks to the efforts of us all, as at the second week of August this year, we welcomed 817,460 foreign tourists.
"In July, 1,821,521 foreign tourists had visited Malaysia, which is a 69.3% increase from 1,076,218 during the same period in 2022," he said.
Tiong also expressed hope for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme to feature at upcoming MATTA Fairs.
He also lauded MATTA for its consistent efforts and achievements in promoting Malaysian hospitality to the world over the years.
"The previous MATTA Fair in March this year was a success which attracted over 180,000 visitors, travel enthusiasts and industry professionals, with over RM300mil in sales.
"Even domestic sales alone accounted for RM34mil.
"This shows that MATTA Fair has become a signature hub for both Malaysia's tourism industry promotions and well-known international brands," he said.
