Jun 25, 2019

MATTA AND AMSPA COMMITTED TO PROMOTE WELLNESS TOURISM IN MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur, 17 June 2019 – The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) had a successful business networking session in collaboration with the Association of Malaysian Spas (AMSPA) held on 17 June 2019 at the Concorde Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The one-day networking session was attended by over 100 participants consisting of tour and travel agencies and spa operators under one roof as part of the initiative to showcase upward trend and developing ‘wellness tourism’ in Malaysia as a destination for international tourists.

MATTA President Datuk Tan Kok Liang said, “This collaboration with AMSPA will create favourable conditions to members as participants could explore the opportunities from ‘wellness tourism’ products available in the country. It also affirms both associations’ commitment to promote domestic tourism products and to attract more tourists to visit Malaysia.”

“Wellness tourism is the fastest growing travel sector globally and Malaysia is listed in the Top 10 wellness tourism markets in Asia Pacific with expenditures standing at US$5bil (RM20.5bil), and 8.3 million trips with a growing trend for wellness vacations and packages, especially to Malaysia.”

“Some of the popular places, amongst others that offers wellness-based-services and activities in Malaysia are Chateau Wellness Resort in Pahang and Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Ipoh. This includes nature-based hot springs and waterfalls such as at Poring Hot Springs in Sabah, Kota Tinggi Waterfall in Johor and Telaga Tujuh Waterfall in Langkawi.”

“The potential of the wellness tourism is immense, and with the backing of Tourism Malaysia and tour operators’ promotional activities, we could generate more awareness of the different types of wellness packages that our country can offer to travellers,” Tan said.

During the event, MATTA and AMSPA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and strengthen ‘wellness tourism’ and to benefit members of both associations for the growth of the tourism industry in the country and remain competitive in the global market.

The MoU encapsulates arrangements relating to promotional programmes and activities leading towards Visit Malaysia 2020 and beyond, exchange of information, cooperation in capacity building, as well as development in the area of ‘wellness tourism’.

The initiative is expected to unleash the potential of this emerging sector in Malaysia and make Malaysia’s ‘wellness tourism’ on par with other popular wellness destinations in Asia such as Bali, Thailand and other prime wellness destinations in Europe.

These strategic areas of cooperation are timely as we are supporting the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign to bring in 30 million international tourists and RM100 billion in tourist receipts to the country.

The MoU was signed by Datuk Tan Kok Liang, President of MATTA and Datin Jeanette Tambakau, President of AMSPA, witnessed by Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia.

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