Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Recreations (MATFA) president, Tan Sri Richard CK Koh during press conference after the launching of the MATFA Golden Horse Awards 2023 at OWG@Glenmarie on March 21.— AZMAN GHANI/The Star
SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Association of Themepark & Family Attractions (Matfa) will host the Golden Horse Awards 2023 on June 11 at Resort World Genting.
Themed "The Greatest Show", the awards recognise those in the industry and their contributions to the Malaysian economy while serving as a pinnacle of recognition and benchmark of exemplary performance.
A total of 48 awards under 15 categories will be handed out as the highest honour a business can get.
Among the awards include Best Theme Park, Best Theme Park Family, Best Adventure Park, Best Aquarium, Best Arcade, Best Playland, Best Solution Provider, Best Vendor and Best Attraction to name a few.
The awards will be given to people who do outstanding work in areas critical to more than one sector, which will encourage businesses to exceed their usual limits.
Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Recreations (MATFA) president, Tan Sri Richard CK Koh (2nd from left) at the launching of the MATFA Golden Horse Awards 2023 at OWG@Glenmarie on March 21. Looking on are (from left) Tourism Malaysia Senior Director and MAFTA Advisor Datuk Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar, Organizing Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Raymond Liew, MAFTA Deputy President CK Ang and MATFA Advisor Datuk Dr AT Kumararajah.—AZMAN GHANI/The Star
Matfa president Tan Sri Richard Koh said if the emphasis is put on the quality of services and safety, more people will come to the park.
"The core of the award is to promote safety, and it will be a game-changer among industry players with the incentive to do better.
"When you are dealing with family and children, safety operations are crucial to the business.
"We have seen many accidents at fun fairs, so our philosophy is to have a set of standards or enhance new aspects to focus on," he told the press, here on Wednesday (March 21).
Koh added theme parks are actually the main attractions for hotels and shopping malls, which tend to be more successful.
This was because theme parks are a big draw for hotels, restaurants and businesses as it centres around it, he also said.
Participants will have to acquire the Award Application Pack from the Matfa secretariat at their office or download it from www.matfa.org.my.
The closing date is April 30.
