FOLLOWING the launch of ‘MATTA Online’ by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) last month, Penang has joined the platform as its first online official partner.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the collaboration would enable travel agents and tour operators who are mostly small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to adopt new travel trends, especially in the digital space.
“Recognising the growing potential of e-commerce platforms, Penang state tourism is proud to be involved in this project by becoming the first official MATTA Online partner.
“We are optimistic that through this collaboration, Penang’s tourism industry will not only offer travellers alternative ways to book a memorable staycation but will also further develop our promotional activities via e-commerce platforms.
“This (e-commerce platform) has become increasingly important since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The collaboration is also part of the Penang Tourism Master Plan’s digitalisation initiative,” Yeoh said during a press conference held today at OZO George Town Hotel.
According to Yeoh, Penang has always been at the forefront of tourism innovation, and it sees the digital marketspace as a channel to provide more opportunities for tourism stakeholders.
He said apart from MATTA members, other tourism partners such as hotels and places of attractions would also benefit from the partnership.
Yeoh also added that PETACE (Penang state exco for tourism and creative economy) is committed to ensuring all safety measures are in place while reviving Penang’s travel industry.
“I also would like to urge MATTA members who are on the platform to continue to innovate their products and learn to reach out to new demographics of consumers.
“We look forward to more collaborations to promote tourism in Penang,” Yeoh said.
Yeoh also said during his recent visit to Thailand, the country’s Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn was amazed by Penang being always one step ahead in its tourism initiatives.
“I believe Penang has the potential to become a world-class tourism destination like Hong Kong and Bangkok. We want Penang to be a champion beyond Malaysia, ASEAN as well as Asia,” he added.
Meanwhile, MATTA’s honorary treasurer Nigel Wong said the ‘MATTA Online’ (https://mattaonline.travel/ ) will feature places of attractions, hotels, flights, restaurants, team building attractions and more things to be added in the future.
Also present were Penang Global Tourism chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (Motac) Penang director Jonathan Freddy Bagang and Malaysian Association of Hotel (MAH) Penang chapter chairman Tony Goh.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat