10th Matta Fair at Boulevard Shopping Mall

KUCHING: Tourism industry players in Sarawak are asked to come together and chart a new horizon so as to put tourism at the forefront in the state’s services sector.

According to permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, under the state transformation agenda, tourism had been selected to be in the forefront under the services sector.

He said Sarawak Tourism Federation and the industry players had been briefed on the programmes, activities and the events the state government was going to embark on.

For these programmes to succeed, the ministry needed the support and positive feedback from the industry players.

“The government might be able to give input in terms of policy and direction, but for the actual execution, the selling of packages, issues on product quality, issues on frontline quality, we need the feedback from you so that we can address it together if the need arises.

“We want packages not for inbound only but also for outbound because if it is only one way traffic then it will not work,” he said at the launch of the 10th Sarawak Malaysian Associations of Travel and Tour Agents ( Matta) Fair at Boulevard Shopping Mall here yesterday.

Ik Pahon said the government acknowledged the great contributions of tourism sector to the state GDP.

He noted that last year alone, the tourism sector contributed RM8.3 billion to the state economy.

“You just imagine the role you (industry players) have played. The amount you have given, the employment opportunities, the income opportunities that you have given, both to people in the town and to those homestays as well as other tourism product owners in the rural areas is not small.

“So on behalf of the ministry, I would like to say thank you to all of you for your continuous support,” he said.

Ik Pahon also commended the efforts made by Sarawak Matta in organising fairs, saying the ministry always looked forward to enhance all forms of collaboration with Matta and other tourism industry players.

He believed the fair was one of the collaborations that must be done more often.

“We must take opportunities when there is because if we wait for too long either other people would take the opportunity or the opportunity is gone.

“We all know that tourism is a very dynamic and very sensitive industry. So if you don’t take the opportunities it might just be gone or somebody else will take it over,” he said.

In doing so, he said the industry players might need the support of the ministry.

“This is where we will come in. So let us continue with this arrangement to ensure that tourism will continue to vibrate and that Sarawak will be the destination for people to come, be it foreign or domestic visitors,” he said.

About 70 booths are being set up by 19 travel agents, nine banks and one airline, theme park and cruise company at the three- day fair which will end tomorrow ( March 12).

Matta will also be conducting a similar fair in Miri from May 12 to 14, where 20 booths are now open for booking.