KOTA KINABALU: Twenty tour companies, resorts and dive operators from Sabah have confirmed their participation in the upcoming Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair.
Lead by the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), the participants who are mostly Sandakan tourism players, will highlight the wildlife, culture and heritage of Sabah as "Malaysia's Favourite Destination".
The two-day affair on Nov 20-21 at the World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur will be officiated by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said Matta's efforts to organise a physical travel fair after the lockdowns will be a boost to the tourism sector.
"We are highly honoured to have Sabah selected by Matta as Malaysia's favourite destination. In November, we already have 56 weekly flights from MAS and 98 weekly flights from Air Asia, all of which are full loads.
"This shows people are now confident to travel. Our hotels and places of interest are also ready to accept visitors, especially from other states.
"Having the Chief Minister's presence is also important because it indicates the state government's commitment to seeing a speedy recovery to our tourism industry, which is one of our key focuses," said Bangkuai.
He was speaking at the virtual press conference on the 2021 Matta Fair today. Also present was Matta president Datuk Tan Kok Liang.
Bangkuai was also delighted to note the recent launched #MansauSabahBoostku campaign received tremendous response, with all available vouchers being fully redeemed in less than 15 hours.
In collaboration with one of Malaysia's E-wallet service providers, the campaign intends to revitalise Sabah's tourism sector and related industries.
"This type of response shows that many Malaysians are eager to explore our backyard.
"I hope that consumers who have successfully redeemed the voucher make full use of this initiative to get more value for their money, in addition to the available offers on Sabah packages throughout the MATTA Fair period," he added.
STB will set up a largest pavilion in Hall 4 to feature 12 booths during the two-day Matta Fair.
Bangkuai encouraged Malaysians to take advantage of the fair to plan a holiday to Sabah and discover all the attractions the state has to offer.
Meanwhile, Tan said this would be Sabah's third appearance in the fair and believes the state will be a hit during the fair. Matta has targeted 20,000 visitors to generate RM25 million domestic sales.
"We are glad that 80 percent of the booths have been taken up, and we hope Malaysians will take this chance to explore travel packages offered by other states as well," he said.