E-commerce, buying travel online, economic uncertainty and a weak ringgit (Malaysian currency) have not affected Malaysian’s love for travel and thronging travel fairs to find the best deals and physically book their vacations.
A case in point – despite predictions that the annual travel fairs organised by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) may lose their shine due to the onslaught of online travel offers and a growing trend for online shopping, they continue to thrive and draw thousands of consumers.
Obviously Malaysians still love interacting with travel agents and pouring over brochures to book their holidays as evident from the recently-concluded MATTA travel fair over the March 16-18 weekend, which saw over 106,000 visitors filling the halls and contributing about RM210 million (US$54 million) to the travel industry’s coffers.
The agents’ association said the numbers topped the September 2017 fair, which attracted 103,880 visitors with total sales of RM205 million (MATTA holds two travel fairs in Kuala Lumpur in March and September, apart from similar shows in other states in the country).
Lunch with a Chinese family in a hutong, Beijing is a popular local activity among Malaysian travellers (Image credit: fotokon/iStock-Getty Images)
And where are the Malaysians travelling to? Japan is the flavour of the month. They have been falling in love with the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ (despite the relative high cost of travel and accommodation) since July 2013 when the government of Japan abolished the requirement of short-term visa for Malaysian nationals.
It has to be said that Airbnb has helped to reduce the accommodation costs, with many travellers opting to use the sharing service instead of staying in traditional hotels.
Buying a total package is a feasible option for many when visiting Japan, especially for first-timers. A friend who explored Tokyo with her family on their own, returned to visit other parts of the country on a package tour. “Everything is covered, from airfares to accommodation and meals. A most convenient way to explore Japan away from the well-trodden paths,” she recounted.
This probably explains why package tours to foreign destinations are still popular among many Malaysians, and the relevance of consumer fairs in the country in an age where artificial intelligence, augmented reality and other tech trends are changing travel and the way we travel
Tan Kok Liang: This year’s fair the biggest. (Image credit: MATTA)
According to MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang, 439,500 Malaysians visited Japan in 2017, an increase 11.5% from 394,268 the previous year.
Asian and European destinations feature high on the shopping list of the fair’s participants. UK is one of the top European buys – London, in particular, is popular partly due to the colonial ties and family connections as many Malaysians are studying or working in the city.
China, Taiwan, South Korea and Turkey continue to be favourite Asian playgrounds for Malaysians, with many visiting the first three countries more than once.
There is also a growing trend among travellers to do more than just shop and sightsee; many now want to get immersed in local experiences like having a meal with a family in the destination, learning a local skill or taking part in a cooking class. Local experiences, especially in Asian destinations, are catching on with every segment of the travelling Malaysian public and not just among the young and the savvy.
MATTA’s Tan revealed in his speech at the fair’s opening ceremony that this March show was its biggest to date with 1,353 exhibition booths and 254 organisations taking part. When the show started in 1991 there were only 80 booths and 9,000 visitors.
Looks like travel fairs are here to stay in Malaysia, and not going away any time soon.
• Featured image credit: yuelan/iStock-GettyImages
