By Mu Vitet
KOTA KINABALU: The three-day Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair running from May 9-11, 2025, is expected to rake in RM26 million in sales.
“This is a major increase from the previous fair, as we feature over 140 booths and offerings to better serve our visitors,” said Organising Chairman Rocky Kho during a press conference at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), which is also the venue for the fair.
He attributed the surge in sales to Sabah’s rich flora and fauna diversity, and Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mount Kinabalu.
“Matta Fair Sabah has continued to build strong momentum, backed by the recorded RM21 million in our Matta Fair 2024.
“This is a clear reflection of the growing desire and the steady rebound of consumer confidence in the travel and tourism sector,” said Kho.
He said the fair has put Sabah in the spotlight as a must-visit destination, ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026, where Matta serves as a strategic partner.
The participants consist of 51 organisations including 31 tour and travel agencies, three local state tourism offices, two airlines, and five hotels and resorts, offering a diverse range of travel services, he said.
Additionally, he said visitors who spend a minimum of RM100 at the fair will be eligible to join Matta’s buyers’ contest with over RM61,000 worth of prizes to be won.
The grand prize is two round-trip economy class tickets from Kota Kinabalu to Paris worth over RM9,000.
Other attractive prizes, sponsored by Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), include round-trip tickets to Beijing, Kerala, Chiang Mai, Da Nang, and even business class tickets to Kuala Lumpur.
Royal Brunei Airlines is also supporting the contest with round-trip economy class tickets from Kota Kinabalu to Beijing, and from Kota Kinabalu to Incheon.
The other sponsors and partners are Sabah Tourism Board (STB) and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment.
Also present were Tourism Malaysia Sabah Director Haryanty Abu Bakar, STB Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit, and Matta Sabah Chairman Mohd Azlan Saleh Abd Salam.
