THE Malaysian International Travel Mart (MITM) 2023 kicked off to a bustling start as thousands of visitors thronged the Setia SPICE Arena today, eagerly seeking good travel deals.
Organised by the Malaysian Chinese Tourist Association (MCTA), the two-day travel fair aims to attract around 15,000 visitors this weekend.
Despite the early morning rain, early birds flocked to the fair, where 37 exhibitors set up a total of 220 exhibition booths. Organising chairman Edwin Tan expressed satisfaction with the strong presence of exhibitors and sponsors, anticipating sales worth RM45 million.
During the fair’s opening ceremony, Penang’s caretaker Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin lauded MCTA for hosting the event.
He said all the stakeholders are working hard to draw tourists from all over the world to Malaysia. However, he also urged airport management, and the Immigration and Customs authorities to play their part in promoting tourism.
“The outlook for the tourism sector in Penang and Malaysia is bright. Our challenge moving forward is to work together to create a seamless and unforgettable experience for tourists when they visit Malaysia as a single yet multifarious travel destination,” Yeoh said in his speech.
Yeoh regarded the MITM travel fair as an opportunity to cross-sell and re-market domestic tourism products at both local and international stages.
He added that over the years, he had taken multiple initiatives to consistently diversify the state’s tourism products, leveraging local resources.
He said while preserving the state’s cultural and natural assets, Penang has also ventured further on the paths of medical tourism, education tourism, creative industries and the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector.
Among those present were MCTA national president Paul Paw, MCTA life honorary president Datuk Albert Tan Sam Soon, Penang Global Tourism senior manager Pauline Yoon, Malaysia Airlines area manager (northern region commercial – sales) Lisa Wong Wen Ling, RW Shipping senior manager (sales) Lacey Sim and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) KL marketing officer Jackson Paul Xavier.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alissala Thian
