Travel local is the new cool trend now, as more Malaysians are exploring their backyard extensively, says The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president.
At the launch of the 54th edition of the MATTA Fair at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) on Saturday (March 23), Nigel Wong said travellers had been keener to explore local destinations, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, creating new tourism ideas and attractions.
Regent of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail officiated the event and called on all tourism players, including the state governments, to redouble their efforts and cooperation to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign.
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At the launch of the 54th edition of the MATTA Fair at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) on Saturday (March 23), Nigel Wong said travellers had been keener to explore local destinations, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, creating new tourism ideas and attractions.
Regent of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail officiated the event and called on all tourism players, including the state governments, to redouble their efforts and cooperation to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign.
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/4dvvny7p
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:20 The world has changed since we came out of the pandemic
00:23 and this change is more obvious in some industries such as travel and tourism.
00:28 It has forced us to rethink and reimagine the way we travel,
00:33 to grow up, to mature, to embrace the fact that we are inextricably connected
00:39 to a global community and to acknowledge that we need to embrace
00:43 this paradigm shift if we are to ensure that our tourism sector,
00:48 something that Malaysia does very well actually,
00:51 will not only be sustainable but will also thrive and flourish.
00:56 One positive and significant trend to emerge post-pandemic
01:00 is the uptick in domestic tourism. More Malaysians have taken to exploring their
01:06 own backyard extensively, viewing their own country through new
01:10 lenses and this has resulted in a surge of
01:14 creativity especially amongst domestic and inbound
01:17 tourism stakeholders. Even more encouraging is the refreshing
01:22 enthusiasm demonstrated by many of our leaders
01:25 in driving not only the conversation but the execution of bold strategies
01:32 that will both elevate tourism within their own territories
01:35 as well as nationally. A perfect example of this is the Singapore East
01:43 which is Matape's favourite Malaysian destination
01:47 this March. Truly a gem within its own sight.
01:52 Now why do I say this? It was a bit of a discovery to me
01:56 but I have only recently found out that the entire state of Perlis itself
02:02 is a UNESCO Geopark.
02:07 And it's not only famous for its haram manis mangoes,
02:15 its unique and harmonious blend of southern Thai
02:18 and Malay cultures, its rolling fields and national parks,
02:22 it evokes a sense of going back to a time when life was simpler and more
02:26 tidy. One of the key drivers of tourism is
02:29 transportation and we must recognise and acknowledge
02:32 that travel is a two-way street. Both public and private sectors must
02:37 stop the inward focus and push towards a more open
02:40 environment where both the inflow and the outflow of
02:44 tourism is encouraged and efficiently managed.
02:47 Each Mata Fair in Baiteng which covers approximately 37,000
02:52 square metres of exhibition space and attracting nearly 150,000 visitors
02:58 over the weekend averages a turnover of approximately
03:02 300 million or 60 million US dollars each fair and out of that ladies and
03:08 gentlemen, 90 million ringgit is generated by
03:12 domestic tourism sales alone in one weekend.
03:18 I would like to suggest that all tourism players
03:27 including the state government to redouble their efforts
03:30 and cooperate making thorough preparations to ensure that the upcoming
03:35 BC Malaysia Year 2026 campaign which targets the arrival of 26.1 million
03:41 tourists is achieved and provides an optimal
03:45 economic impact towards the delegating Malaysia as one of the
03:50 major tourist destinations in the international market.
03:54 Ladies and gentlemen, the launching of BC Malaysia 2024-2025
04:01 it marks the first step taken by the Perlis State Government
04:06 towards the BC Malaysia Year 2026. The state of Perlis is privileged
04:12 to be highlighted as Malaysia's favourite destination
04:17 in its upcoming plan. With that, I hope that Mata
04:20 will further enhance promoting Perlis as a beautiful, peaceful and unique tourist destination.
04:28 Please come to Perlis to discover its undeniable charm.
04:32 On that note, Perlis is also eager to see investment
04:36 on having either four or five star hotels to support
04:40 the positive increase in tourist numbers during this year
04:43 exceeding 4 million visitors in 2023.
04:48 I hereby congratulate you once again to Mata and wish you
04:51 continuous success always. I hereby officially
04:56 inaugurate the Mata Fair 2024. I wish you all the best.
05:02 Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. Thank you. Thank you. Salam.
05:08 [Music]
05:12 [Music]
05:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]