The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), the
Indonesian Travel Agents Association (ASTINDO) and the Association of
the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) have signed an MoU to
combine assets and expertise of each association with the common goal of
promoting tourism for both countries.
By sharing information related to tourist-related issues and
conducting information exchanges, the associations are hopeful that it
will have a significant impact on the tourism industry in both
countries.
According to Tan Kok Liang, president of MATTA, this partnership is
crucial for MATTA since, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Indonesia was
Malaysia's second largest visitor source market, only after Singapore,
with 3.6 million visitors. Similarly, 2.6 million Malaysian visitors
visited Indonesia in 2019, according to the Indonesian Ministry of
Tourism and Creative Economy.
“As a result, we anticipate a large rise in arrivals for both countries following this signing,” he added.
In a show of the importance of the Malaysia market to Indonesia, the
Indonesian Minister of Tourism Sandiaga Uno was also present at the MoU
signing in Kuala Lumpur.
MATTA is planning to hold a series of B2B roadshows to the Sumatra,
Java, and Kalimantan islands in the coming months. The association is
also looking forward to completing collaborative programmes with both
ASTINDO and ASITA, which will be revealed soon.
The MoU signings with ASTINDO and ASITA are just the latest in a
string of partnerships that MATTA has sealed. During ITB Berlin 2023,
MATTA also inked MoUs with its European counterparts in Switzerland, the
Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, and Finland, to promote tourism
between these respective destinations.