Exciting holiday prizes on offer at MATTA Fair this weekend

Wong (fourth left), Hamzah (fifth left) and representatives from participating exhibitors showing some of the highlights of MATTA Fair Penang this weekend.

AMAZING prizes worth over RM80,000 await winners of the Buyers’ Contest at the three-day MATTA Fair Penang in the Straits Quay Convention Centre from today.

One lucky travel shopper stands to win the grand prize of a 6D/4N holiday package for two persons to picturesque Hokkaido in Japan, worth RM15,000.

Besides this, there are around 30 more exciting prizes up for grabs, including return air tickets, cruise holidays, hotel vouchers and theme park tickets.

MATTA immediate past president Datuk Hamzah Rahmat said visitors could get an entry for the contest with a minimum purchase of just RM200.

“We are also pleased to be giving away three iPhone X for the Visitors’ Lucky Draw. There will be one winner per day.

“All you have to do is fill up a simple form at the fair,” he said at a press conference.

The fair, organised by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is expected to draw 20,000 visitors and generate sales of around RM20mil.

There will be a vast range of holiday packages at competitive prices, catering to the differing needs of each traveller.

MATTA honorary secretary-general Nigel Wong said that this year, national organisations such as the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, and the Macao Government Tourism Office would be taking part.

State tourism bodies from Johor, Sabah, Melaka, Perak and Penang will also be highlighting unique offerings.

“Domestic tourism has picked up a lot in recent times as more Malaysians are finding out just how wonderful the country is.

“National carrier Malaysia Airlines is the official airline of this fair so visitors can alsolook out for discounts up to 40% or 50% to international destinations,” he highlighted.

Henry Lee, travel advisor for SAS Malaysia Tours and Travel, said customers worry about being forced to make unwanted shopping stops.

“We’ll be offering new and more relaxed tours with no shopping plus upgraded meals and accommodation for China, Korea, Taiwan and Asean countries,” Lee said.

Eco-Coach and Tours’ Vergis Mathews said they would be highlighting relaxing getaways to Cochin and ayurvedic trips to Trivandrum, both in Kerala, India.

“We also have packages for Bhutan where one can go on walking trails, see temples on the hills, visit cattle ranches and do much more.”

Travelsmart Vacation marketing director Steve Ng said they were the top provider for packages to Koh Lipe, Thailand, and offered deals starting at RM375 per person.

Lost World of Tambun’s Penang sales office senior sales manager Lim Kim Ling said they would be offering a buy-5-free-1 deal on tickets at RM50.50 for adults and RM45.50 for children, with six months’ validity.

“We also have hotel vouchers at RM180 for the first and second purchases and RM1 for the third piece bought.

“There will be special rates for membership too,” she added at the press conference.

MATTA has also partnered with Grab to provide visitors with RM5 off rides to the fair. Simply enter the promo code PGMATTA18 when booking. This offer is limited to the first 1,000 rides per day.

The fair is open from 10am to 9pm daily.