By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, July 4: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Sarawak Chapter has announced that the highly popular Matta Fair will return with its 16th Sarawak Matta Travel Fair 2022 on August 6 and 7, to be held concurrently at Boulevard Shopping Mall here and Permaisuri Imperial City Mall in Miri.
According to its chairman Oscar Choo, previously Matta Fair was held at least once or twice a year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were unable to hold the event.
“Matta Fair has a high outbound sales volume because everyone in Kuching who hears about the Matta Fair wants to plan their dream holiday, and many Matta agents have wonderful packages.
“Even though it is outbound, we are also promoting inbound.
“With the current situation transitioning from pandemic to endemic, the government has also been doing a very good job in initiating further increases in flight frequency, so that with more flights coming in and out and with good connectivity across the globe, Matta members are able to plan much better products and packages for consumers,” Choo said today during a press conference about the Sarawak Matta Fair in Kuching and Miri this year at the Matta Sarawak office in Trinity Hub Commercial Centre here.
He highlighted that the fair will serve as a one-stop platform for consumers to easily choose their dream holiday destinations from a variety of packages offered by Matta’s credible licensed tour operators.
“I believe a lot of news has come out that there have been a lot of scams going on in social media, so consumers can purchase and plan holidays with well-experienced and credible travel agents through this one-stop platform.
“We strive to provide consumers with peace of mind, knowing that they are investing their earnings in travel packages with licensed tour operators,” he added.
Choo went on to say that during the fair, there will be an abundance of promotions ranging from cruise packages to airline and accommodation deals to short getaways to neighbouring countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand, which are expected to be among the best-selling products.
“And, based on what I’ve heard from my members, domestic destinations such as Sabah and Langkawi will also be packaged and sold in Matta Fair.
“For long-haul travel, European and Western countries have opened their borders, making it much more comfortable for people to travel.
“And nowadays, if you visit Europe, those who are wearing masks are ill, and those who are walking around without masks, to put it simply, are healthy,” he added.
Choo also said that many people now refer to travel as “revenge tourism” because they have felt trapped at home for the past few years due to the pandemic.
“We believe that this is the best time, and that at the end of the year, when the Matta Fair is held in August, people can plan ahead of time what they want to do.
“The Matta Fair is expected to foster and enhance networking, goodwill, and fellowship among all in the trade and tourism industry, and it will also provide a personal touch to real customer service by allowing agents and consumers to sit down and plan.
“Matta is committed to making this event a huge success in order to fulfil its role as a catalyst for growth in Malaysia’s hospitality and tourism industries and to assist the government’s vision of creating more job opportunities, expanding market reach, and increasing tourist arrivals,” Choo disclosed.
Meanwhile, Choo revealed that Matta Sarawak has 121 members and hopes that through staging the Matta Fair, it will be able to help boost the economy and get members back on track.
He disclosed that Matta members’ participation target is 48 booths in Kuching, which has close to 20 members, and 20 booths in Miri.
The Matta chairman also highlighted there will be lucky draws for customers with attractive prizes sponsored by various participating organisations.
“Admission is free and it is open from 10am to 9pm for two days, on Saturday and Sunday,” Choo added.
For more information, contact the Matta secretariat at 082-555853. — DayakDaily
