Matta fair rakes in RM210 million with rise in visitors
PETALING JAYA: The recentlyconcluded Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair attracted over 106,000 visitors over the weekend, with total sales of RM210 million.
This was an improvement to its previous fair in September 2017, when it recorded RM205 million in sales from a total of 103,880 visitors.
Matta president Datuk Tan Kok Liang ( pix) said Asian and European countries remained the most popular destinations, with Japan topping the list, based on figures gleaned from its Buyers’ Contest.
He said Japan’s popularity here has surged in recent years following the abolition of visa requirements in 2013, with 439,500 Malaysians visiting Japan in 2017 alone, up 11.5% from 394,268 the previous year.
Other top destinations included the UK, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Turkey.
Tan said there was also a 5% increase in visitors choosing local destinations as compared to last year, with Negri Sembilan being the most popular.
“The rise in local travel could be due to tight travel budgets because of the economy, and also because promotions for domestic destinations have been growing.
“Negri Sembilan is popular for its beach resorts. Terengganu and Johor are also popular because of their islands and the Legoland theme park respectively. There’s also Sabah and Sarawak,” he told theSun yesterday.
Tan said the number of exhibitors for the Muslim travel sector has also increased this year, with more travellers coming to the fair for umrah packages.