Thousands of visitors flocked to Tourism Malaysia Pavilion in search of domestic tourism packages.

PUTRAJAYA, 6 April 2016: A total of 23,973 domestic travel packages worth RM6,560,795.60 were sold to the public during the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair, which was held from 11 to 13 March 2016.

The total value of sales showed an increase of 48.02% compared to RM4,432,084.49 at the MATTA Fair in March 2015. It was a new record for Tourism Malaysia as the sale of the domestic travel packages had surpassed its original target of 17,896 packages and RM4.65 million total sales.

The sales of the domestic packages in the March edition of the MATTA Fair this year also showed a 10 % increase or 23,973 packages compared to the September edition of the MATTA Fair last year. Its total value of sales also showed a huge increase of 18.96% compared to RM5,515,089.84 in September.

The participants from Kedah recorded the highest sales with RM1.7 million, followed by Terengganu (RM1.05 million), Pahang (RM1.01 million), Johor (RM855,524), and Selangor (RM495,747).

Island destinations such as Langkawi, Perhentian, Redang, and Pemanggil, as well as Pahang National Park, and Desaru Fruits Farm received an overwhelming response during the MATTA Fair.

This huge success is a testament to the effectiveness of Tourism Malaysia’s latest domestic campaign called the Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Dekat Je, which was launched on 17 June last year.

A total of 110 organisations had participated in the MATTA Fair 2016 under the umbrella of Tourism Malaysia. These organisations are made up of 55 tour operators, 33 hotel and resort operators, and 20 tourism products operators.

Domestic tourism showed double digit growth in terms of the number of tourists and receipts for the year 2014. The number of domestic tourists was up by 11.6% to 60.7 million compared to 54.4 million in 2013 while receipts increased by 16.3% to RM41.1 billion compared to RM35.6 billion in 2013.

-ENDS-

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at all levels. Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2014, Malaysia registered 27.4 million tourist arrivals and RM72 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest foreign exchange earner.

Through the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area), collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, other Government agencies and the private sector have been enhanced to help secure Malaysia’s position as a leading tourist destination and achieve the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020.

The targets set under the Tourism NKEA will be achieved through the implementation of twelve Entry Point Projects (EPPs) clustered under five themes: Affordable Luxury; Nature Adventure; Family Fun; Events, Entertainment, Spa and Sports; and Business Tourism.

Press contact:

Media Relations Unit:
Shukri Hanafiah, Senior Deputy Director, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8767
Email: shukrihanafiah@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:
Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my