THE tourism industry is showing signs of a strong comeback.
A huge crowd thronged the two-day Matta Fair Penang 2022 at Setia SPICE Arena this morning as soon as it opened its doors to the visitors.
There were 158 exhibition booths operated by 85 agencies for visitors to choose from at the fair.
Organising chairman Carolyn Leong hoped that the fair could improve the livelihood of the state’s industry players.
“It has been a challenging past two years, and I am glad to see that many of us persevered.
“We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
“We hope that this fair can improve the livelihood of our industry players,” she said in her speech during the opening ceremony today.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Penang Chapter chairman Vergis Mathews said tourism industry players need to reboot and rejuvenate to stay in the game.
“As stakeholders, we are mutually dependent on each other. We are in this together,” he said.
Mathews thanked the organising committee members, the participants, visitors, media and the state government for the support in making the Matta Fair Penang 2022 a success.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin congratulated the organising committee for a job well done.
“The Matta Fair Penang 2022 is one of the many ways to drive the tourism economy.
“It benefits the visitors by allowing them to discover the best travel deals, while also generating opportunities for all those in the tourism ecosystem such as travel agents, state tourism organisations, hotels, theme parks, family attractions, food and beverages (F&B) and cruise agents.
“The tourism economy has remained in the backwater long enough and is now set for a strong comeback.
“Looking back on today’s Matta Fair Penang 2022, the Penang government is indeed happy to play a role in its success.
“I mooted the idea that the fair should also incorporate creative elements because they can enhance the overall visitor experience besides providing a platform for our creative players to showcase their talents.
“I strongly believe that both tourism and the creative industry are closely interwoven.
“On this note, I am delighted to see that the organising committee extended opportunities to our creative players. The committee included several creative programmes, such as the Baba and Nyonya cultural performances, handicrafts and others,” he said.
He also said that the Penang government views tourism as an important sector.
“Tourism is not just about carrying your luggage and going travel. It is much more than that.
“It plays a part in the economy, technology, cultural exchange, and even education.
“It can create jobs and bring improvement to society. To sum it up, it is ‘everything’,” he said.
Yeoh added that Penang would continue to diversify its tourism products and establish better connectivity with the world.
“I hope that the state’s inbound tourism market will continue to flourish,” he said.
Also present at the fair were Matta president Datuk Tan Kok Liang and Penang Global Tourism chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan.
After touring the exhibition booths, Yeoh witnessed the signing of a collaboration agreement between Firefly Airlines, Matta Penang Chapter, and Matta Sabah Chapter to provide a wider connectivity between Penang and Sabah.
Matta Fair Penang 2022 is now being held at the Setia SPICE Arena until tomorrow.
Story and pix by Christopher Tan