MATTA adds carnival spirit to upcoming three-day fair

All smiles: Hamzah (third from left), Kho (third from right) and Wong (fourth from right) posing with a Doraemon mascot at the press conference at Wisma Matta in Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: Next month’s Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair promises to be a fun outing for the family.

Organising chairman Rocky Kho, in emphasising that the three-day fair would be more than just an event to sell travel packages and tickets, said the upcoming event would have a carnival-like atmosphere. “Our theme is fun and fiesta,” he said.

He added that a 100,000-strong turnout was expected for the fair at Putra World Trade Centre here from Sept 5 to 7.

Kho said each visitor was set to receive a free voucher to a photo book by Pixajoy by Excard Corporation, a website offering consumers a chance to purchase and design their own custom photo books with ease.

“Children and adults will be in for another treat at the fair – the presence of Doraemon,” he said. The iconic manga character will be brought in by Animation International (M) Sdn Bhd, the master licensee for Doraemon in Malaysia and Singapore.

MATTA president Hamzah Rahmat said another special feature of this leg of the fair was the wider promotion of inbound travel in Malaysia.

“The time has come for us Malaysians to discover the beauty of our own country,” said Hamzah, adding that not many were aware that some of the Malaysian gems rivalled those of other countries. In line with that, one of the halls for the fair, he added, would exclusively showcase Malaysian travel packages and products.

MATTA vice-president (research and technology) Nigel Wong said Matta would collaborate with Tourism Malaysia to run a competition during the event. “The Malaysia, My Dream Destination contest is aimed at promoting travel in Malaysia to tourists inside and outside the country,” he added. Three lucky winners will win a paid trip around Malaysia and get the chance to have their travel footage featured in Tourism Malaysia advertisements.

For more information, visit mattafair.org.my.

-thestar online.