March MATTA Fair 2020 Postponed to May following Coronavirus outbreak
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair, which was set to be held on 13 - 15 March, has now be postponed, in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said that the management committee has decided to move the fair to May 1 to 3 at the Putra World Trade Centre. He added that the decision came after “extensive consultation with key partners, sponsors and NTOs (national tourism organisations) with written requests and feedback from participating MATTA members”.
The travel fair which was initially scheduled for March is being deferred due to the adverse effects that recent travel bans and negative public perception caused by indiscriminate social media postings pertaining to the coronavirus have had on the Malaysian tour and travel trade.
Discussions with industry partners both locally and abroad coupled with events that are unfolding in the travel space have resulted in weak forward booking trends by customers who are preferring to delay making travel plans until the current global situation shows signs of returning to normalcy.
MATTA President Datuk Tan Kok Liang says “Although the shift in dates will not be convenient to everyone we are amazed at the level of support and encouragement that we have received from our exhibitors, sponsors and trade partners. Even now the team is working very hard with industry partners to put together irresistible travel deals in anticipation of a bounce-back in the market.”
“History has shown that our travel industry has proven to be very resilient and that Malaysians are an adventurous and hardy lot who won't stop traveling,” added Tan.
In the meantime, MATTA will be working very closely with all our participating industry partners to create greater opportunities in preparation for the upcoming Fair.
More than 200 exhibitors, ranging from National Tourism Organisations, State Tourism Offices, travel agencies, airlines, theme parks, cruise lines and hotels have registered their participation in the MATTA Fair.
MATTA is also looking into other exciting initiatives to satiate Malaysians' love for travel even during this difficult period in time.
The public can visit and follow the official MATTA Fair Facebook account @mattafairkualalumpur and official Twitter account @MATTA_FAIR to receive the latest updates.
Source: Matta Fair