Back to nature: Wong (third from left) promoting the MATTA Fair alongside Lau, Nurmalis, Poon, Khuzaimah and Norzalifa. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The coming Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair is going green with a specific booth in support of sustainable practices within the industry.
Visitors to the “Sustainable Tourism” booth can learn about various projects and initiatives spearheaded by MATTA and its partners and engage in interactive activities and take part in discussions aimed at promoting sustainability within the tourism industry.
MATTA president Nigel Wong said the initiative is aimed at enhancing local community livelihoods and showcasing a commitment to sustainable environmental practices.
“More importantly, it is to contribute to the conversation with the government in terms of how policies are made regarding the national sustainability agenda and how tourism plays an important role,” he told a press conference yesterday.
Wong said the heart of the endeavour is the launch of the Green Circle Initiative, a collaborative effort involving key stakeholders from diverse sectors such as Climate Governance Malaysia, Malaysia Aviation Group, the RHB Banking Group, Malaysia Digital Economy Corp, Malaysian Association of Hotels and the Malaysian Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers.
Wong spoke of MATTA’s collaboration with renowned British wildlife artist Rachel Gray, AmLeisure Group Media, Tourism Perak and Tourism Selangor.
He said a significant project would be a collaboration with Perak State Parks Corp at the Royal Belum State Park, the second-largest protected area in the peninsula.
Tourism Selangor promotions manager Khuzaimah Jamaluddin said Tourism Selangor will showcase the Jungle School Gombak, an empowerment programme involving indigenous people in Gombak, at the MATTA Fair to be held here from March 22-24.
“This initiative aims to raise awareness about indigenous people’s survival skills, rainforest sustainability and cultural practices, offering the public opportunities to participate in workshops and programmes, including a five-level survival course,” she added.
Through the Selangor Community Hosts Programme, Tourism Selangor has been promoting community-based tourism, particularly in Sabak Bernam and Kuala Selangor.
Tourism Selangor manages the Gombak Hulu Langat Geopark, which comprises 31 geoparks in Selangor, which aims to achieve global recognition from Unesco by 2027 for its efforts in geopark conservation and promotion.
The 54th edition of the MATTA Fair will be held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
Offering free admission, it will be open from 10am to 9pm over three days. Visitors will also get to purchase limited edition T-shirts with Gray’s artwork. Proceeds from the sale will fund sustainable tourism initiatives in Perak and Selangor.
MATTA is targeting 150,000 visitors and RM250mil in sales. Complimentary shuttle services to MITEC from KL Sentral and Sunway Putra Mall will be provided.
On visitor turnout during Ramadan, Wong said previous MATTA Fairs held during the period did not see significant changes in visitor numbers, adding that with improved facilities and comfort at MITEC, more would be encouraged to come.
To accommodate Muslim visitors during Ramadan, he said dedicated food and beverage facilities for buka puasa and prayer halls will be available throughout the venue.
Also present at the press conference were Tourism Perak CEO Nurmalis Musa, AmLeisure Group Media managing director Datuk Ada Poon, Jungle School Gombak Malaysia founder Assistant Prof Norzalifa Zainal Abidin and Perak State Parks Corp acting director Lau Chin Fong.
