Matta Fair 2013 March
Matta Fair 2013 at PWTC Kuala Lumpur is back to start the new year with some exciting travel promotions, deals and packages for everyone. Having been around for many years now, this travel fair in KL is hands down the most successful travel fair of all time. Held twice a year, in March and again in September, both fairs attract over 100000 people over for the three days at Putra World Trade Center. For 2013, we are speculating that there will be even more crazy travel deals for everyone.
The fair is split into three halls, where the Hall 1 and 2 are for international travel and Hall 3 is for local tourism. So visitors can easily spend a good 4-6 hours here if you want to visit all three halls. Matta Fair 2013 will definitely have some exciting travel offers judging from the previous years, most operators keep coming up with creative packages. If you have not been to a Matta Fair before, you should go and experience one. While it looks like a mad house with tens of thousand people exploring all three halls, you should know that it would be wise to come prepared as you never know how long you will be spending there.Overall, the travel fair here in Malaysia offers visitors all kinds of packages. From ground, flight, complete tours, cruises, Muslim packages and many others. Visitors pay RM4 per entry and before you enter the main exhibition hall area, you will see other travel related promotions like cameras, bags and sometimes non-related beauty products.
Specialty tours were also featured here with booths selling honeymoon packages, romantic getaways, trekking tours, bicycling tours, motorbike tours and scuba diving packages just to name a few. There should be more in 2013 and probably Cycling Tours in Malaysia would be one of the highlights as the tourism ministry has been working hard to promote this. Luxury Tourism in Malaysia is also one of the genres that we hope to see more of.
Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong seem to be the hot sellers during every fair as the exhibition booths are pretty nice and interesting. Giveaways are common where Taiwan Tourism actually had a small section where they gave away free bubble tea. At another area, a small game section for visitors where if you completed the simple mind games, they would give you a gift. Other gimmicks used are men and women in traditional costumes of the individual countries where they hand out flyers.
The crowds start to swell up on Saturday and Sunday and it can get a little tricky moving about there. Sometimes if you want to seek a consultant, you would most likely have to wait your turn. Just take a look at the images here and you can see how many people attend the Matta Fair. Me, personally I like to check the Club Med Packages as they usually offer a Buy 1 Free 1 deal to any of their resorts around Asia. But if you explore around, you will find other packages that could meet your requirements.
Travel Magazines, apparels and the rest
New players like Lonely Planet made their debut by having a booth there promoting their Lonely Planet Magazine. Other magazine players like Leisure Travel, Santai and Singapore’s Escape Magazine are also regulars. Winter apparel brands are also common as there are a few booths dedicated to this section. Luggage bags, accessories, cameras and even photo books are seen sold around here.
Airlines, airlines and Cruise lines
Airlines are no strangers to the fair as every event, they will have one of the larger booths promoting their tickets and holiday packages. Local players like Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia with their GoHolidays and also FireFly are seen very actively here. Berjaya Air usually takes a small booth while we are waiting to see if new budget airline, Malindo Airlines will make a debut in 2013.
Theme Parks Packages and Promotions
New theme park players Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour are sure to have their booths at the Matta Fair 2013. Let us see what gimmick or promotion they will have this time around as many are looking forward tosome sort of all in one package. One to look out for is the newly opened i-City Water World in Shah Alam. Otherwise, most of the travel companies would also sell these family packages. Other players include the KL Bird Park, Genting Resorts, Langkawi Underwater World, Sunway Lagoon, Bukit Gambang Water Park and A’Famosa Water Park.
For outbound, one of the big players is Resorts World Singapore who is always aggressively promoting their packages as they have Universal Studios Singapore and Sentosa Island as a crowd puller. Waterbom Bali, a water park is also popular while there is also the Bali Safari Park for those wanting to head to this island.
Muslim Tours or Halal Packages
Another popular sector is the Muslim Packages or Halal Packages which seem to be getting more and more popular every year with the locals. These special trips to Europe, China, Oceanic and even Indochina offer Muslims the chance to explore these places with the relevant amenities. You will notice some of the big players selling Muslim Tours at Matta Fair. There are also pure Muslim companies selling these tours and also Haj Packages or Pilgrimage Tours to Mecca and other Middle East destinations at the Matta Fair 2013.