More booths, new creative products and loads of travel offers for all
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are expected to travel more with the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) targeting up to RM350mil in sales turnover during the latest edition of MATTA Fair.
This was a “modest increase” of an additional RM50mil in sales turnover that was made during the previous fair in March, said MATTA president Nigel Wong.
“We have about 1,300 booths this time. We target to attract 220,000 visitors, which is also an increase from the 200,000 achieved previously,” he said when met after the launch of the fair at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here yesterday.
From the latest target, Wong noted that domestic travel was expected to contribute some RM70mil – more than double the previous figure of RM34mil.
This, he said, was in view of the many new tourism products.
“Many tourism operators came up with new and creative products and offers. Also, people’s travel habits have changed. They are more eager to explore their own backyard,” he said.
He said such a trend could have been an extension from the widely promoted domestic tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Now people realise that Malaysia actually has a lot to offer. Furthermore, they don’t have to blow their budget in order to go for a holiday,” he said.
For the convenience of visitors coming to the MATTA Fair, Wong said that a free shuttle bus service is available at two locations – KL Sentral and Sunway Putra Mall.
These buses, which run from 8am till 10pm, depart for Mitec every 10 minutes from now until the fair ends tomorrow.
Ready to see the world: Early crowds seen entering the exhibition hall in Mitec as MATTA Fair 2023 kicked off yesterday. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
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.
In his speech read out by Roslan, Tiong said the ministry allocated RM25mil through the Tourism Sector Support Grant to “fuel” the tourism sector.
“Thanks to everybody’s efforts, as at the second week of August, we welcomed 817,460 foreign tourists.
“In July, 1,821,521 foreign tourists visited Malaysia, which is a 69.3% increase from the 1,076,218 during the same period in 2022,” he said.
Tiong also expressed hope that the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme would be featured in upcoming MATTA fairs.
“The Cabinet recently decided that the ministry would be managing the MM2H’s promotion and marketing.
“I hope MM2H can also be one of the foremost products at MATTA fairs.
“Let us together try to attract the world community to this programme, especially high net worth applicants with great spending potential, so that they can contribute to the economic growth of our country,” he said.
He lauded MATTA for its consistent effort and achievements in promoting Malaysian hospitality throughout the years.
“The previous MATTA Fair in March was a success, attracting over 180,000 visitors, travel enthusiasts and industry professionals, with over RM300mil in sales.
“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.”
As industry players and related industries seek breakthroughs during these times, Tiong said the ministry and Tourism Malaysia would always be supportive.
“Whether in terms of policy, deployment strategy, talent, marketing, publicity, hardware and software facilities and so on, the ministry together with Tourism Malaysia are always with you, constantly striving to enhance and strengthen efforts to assist the country, tourism and related industries to develop business and increase revenue,” he said.
