MATTA FAIR Friday 4 – Sunday 6 September 2015 The MATTA

MATTA FAIR
Friday 4 – Sunday 6 September 2015
The MATTA (Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents) Fair is held in various major cities of
Malaysia each year, with two shows scheduled for each city – one in the beginning of the year and
one towards the third quarter of the calendar year. The Fair is Malaysia's premier, consumer travel
event and expects a visitor count of more than 100,000 for 2015. It commenced in 1991 with a
visitor count of 9,000, and has grown to be a fixture event in the travel industry.
About the Travel Fair
The set up of the Fairs each year are similar, although there is a slight shift in visitor behaviour
between the March and September event. Traditionally, consumers will gather information on
destinations and packages at the March event, with the September event providing an opportunity
for consumers to plan and book their yearend holidays.
Statistics for the events for 2014 and 2015 are as follows:
MARCH 2014
1058
21
90,273
155M
SEPTEMBER 2014
1207
13
81,443
133M
MARCH 2015
1126
16
90,158
155M
SEPTEMBER 2015
1220
18
91,664
In Kuala Lumpur, the event occupied a total space area of over 27,400 m2 with six halls occupied by
208 organisations. Amongst those that exhibited, 18 were national tourist offices (with Tourism
Australia being one of those). The breakdown of exhibitors:
National Tourist Offices
Local State Government Tourist
Offices
Hotels & Resorts
Tour & Travel Agents
Charity Bodies
18
Airlines
1
11
Cruises
2
26
123
3
Theme Park
Other Travel Related Services
8
3
The list of national tourism organisations:
NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION
ACEH CULTURE & TOURISM AGENCY,
GOVERNMENT OF ACEH
AUSTRALIA
HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD
INDIA TOURISM, SINGAPORE
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN EMBASSY
JAPAN NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION
SINGAPORE OFFICE
KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION
MACAU GOVERNMENT TOURIST
MEXICO TOURISM BOARD
MINISTRY OF TOURISM OF THE REPUBLIC OF
INDONESIA
NEPAL TOURISM BOARD
SRI LANKA HIGH COMMISSION
TAIWAN TOURISM BUREAU KL OFFICE
TAIPEI CITY GOVERNMENT
TOURISM MALAYSIA
TOURISM NEW ZEALAND
TURKEY TOURISM OFFICE
ZHANGJIAJIE TOURISM BOARD
Benefits to consumers in attending
Traditionally, travellers will gather information on destinations and packages at the March event,
with the September event providing an opportunity for consumers to plan and book their yearend
holidays. Most travellers would choose long haul destinations at the end of the year as this is the
longest holiday period for children in school.
The Fair provides consumers with a good amount of choice in terms of determining which
destination to visit. Visitors tend to gather information and talk to the country tourism boards first
before booking packages. The packages on offer at the Fair are considerable cheaper than standard
retail packages, enticing trigger and price motivated bookings/sales.
There are agents who specialise in Muslim travel with packages to known destinations with
accessible halal food and mosques; Japan is known to be a desirable location in support of this.
Theme Park packages are looking to be more popular for young couples and families where
promotional ticket with travel packages could be booked at the Fair.
Another growing trend in holidays for Malaysians is cruise holidays. Only two cruise operators
exhibited at the event and a multitude of agents dressed their stands to be recognised as cruise
specialists. Fair offers usually applied to cruise bookings for two or more passengers.
Some retail travel agents, who have partnerships with Tourism Australia or state tourist
organisations have Aussie Specialist stands within their booth. There is a dedicated agent taking on
specific queries on Australian product who also distributes Tourism Australia resources on Muslim
suited products and services and resources related to the Restaurant Australia campaign.
Experience Perth objectives in attending
We consider the travel fairs in Malaysia a good opportunity to educate and promote the destination
of Perth and surrounds plus Western Australia as their next holiday destination.
- The audience at the Kuala Lumpur MATTA Fair are predisposed to travelling and taking a
holiday, particularly long haul destinations towards the end of the year
- Manning the Western Australia stand, ensures realistic and important information is
provided to the consumer
- Brochure representation and staff recommendations allows Experience Perth to control the
products and experiences considered for their next visit to Perth
- The return on investment in participating in this event is fair given the visitor numbers for
each event
Western Australia stand and Experience Perth presence
Tourism WA exhibit under the Tourism Australia stand, with Australia’s South West and Experience
Perth exhibiting under the Western Australia section of the stand.
Only Gold Coast, Northern Territory and Perth, Western Australia had a presence on the stand.
However in the lead up to the event, Tourism Australia had promoted key destinations in point and
online. The key destinations being:
- Gold Coast – playground capital
- Melbourne – the vibrant city
- Sydney and Hunter Valley – gardens
- Tasmania – for an island experience
- Adelaide – old world charm
- Perth and Margaret River – natural wonders and foodie haven
- Ayres Rock – red centre and self drive experience
The popular tourism board stands were Indonesia Tourism, Taiwan Tourism and Korea Tourism as
they seem to be the most active in engagement with the consumers at the fair.
Tourism Western Australia promoted packages into Perth with a visit to either the south west or
coral coast. There were a number of bookings made, (63 pax) with a value add redemption gift to
entice the sale.
See scan of print ad below:
Partnering retails agencies to book the packages:
Malaysian Harmony Tour and Travel, Golden Deluxe Travel, Holiday Tours and Travel and PNL Travel
As a result of a touring package with celebrity Chef Wan promoted in 2014, a booklet on his travels,
the itinerary and recipes was also distributed on stand.
The operator brochures were bagged and the bags were distributed on stand plus a small amount of
the operator brochures were laid out on the counter for consumers to individually pick the products
of most appeal.
Activity on stand
One could categorise the majority of consumers approaching the stand into two categories:
Travel planners – those that were planning to travel to Perth/Western Australia and required further
information before committing to booking product
Aspiring visitor to Western Australia – those that were thinking of visiting Perth as they had visited
other parts of Australia, but not yet the West Coast.
Some of the popular questions were:
- What is the best time to visit Perth?
- What will the weather be like in November/December?
- We’re thinking of heading over in December, and we have 5 days, what can I see in this time
frame?
- What fruit is in season at the end of the year?
- Is it safe to drive a car in Western Australia?
- Can you show me accommodation in Perth that is at a good price
- Can you show me places to stay in Perth for a family of 5 or 6
- What else can I see other than Perth city?
- What can I do with children in Perth?
- Is it easy to get a visa for Australia?
Products/Precincts/regions that were of interest and further information requested:
Perth
Fremantle
Margaret River
Albany
Perth and surrounds
Apartments in the city
Swan Valley
Greater Western Australia
Wave Rock
Monkey Mia
Car Hire
Things to do with children
Places to stay with children
Stand out behaviours of consumers approaching the stand:
- The weather is a determining factor as to when they would travel to Australia/Perth – they
do not want to visit when it is wet nor do they like the extreme heat of summer
- Most enquiries were based on a travel period of November/December
- About 25% of enquirers had already booked a holiday in late 2015, and were seeking
detailed information places to stay and things to see and do
- It is evident that independent research and online booking of ground content was trending
upwards with this market
- Visitors were keen to learn of the public transport network in Perth and surrounds as they
were keen to use this method of transport when holidaying
- Conversely to Singaporeans, Malaysians seemed more comfortable with self-drive touring in
Western Australia
- Consumers were happy to hear that there were many experiences on offer in the immediate
surrounds of Perth CBD including beaches, Fremantle, Swan Valley and water cruising
experiences in Mandurah and Peel
- There is a considerable level of awareness and interest in Swan Valley with the advantage of
being close to Perth CBD and the airport
- The consumers were delighted in images of Fremantle and Swan Valley
- There seems to be a great interest in food and wine and in particular, natural produce and
seafood, hence an attraction to Fremantle and Swan Valley
- More were familiar and more interested in Wave Rock than the Pinnacles
- There were enquiries made about wildflowers and the best season to see wildflowers and
natures garden in general
- If a visitor is aware of Margaret River, they are considering a visit to Perth and South West in
the same visit
- Most are aware of the Margaret River Region and it is the home to many large wineries,
local produce. They enquired as to how you can experience this ‘fresh produce’
International visitation to Western Australia
Much of the trends and behaviours reported Tourism WA and Tourism Australia were evident in the
consumer approaching the stand at the MATTA Fair. Below are statistics to better profile the
Malaysian traveller into Western Australia:
For the year ending June 2015:
- Arrivals into Australia from Malaysia is at 293,400 with a 5.7% increase in holiday and leisure
travellers from June 2014 and a 5.0% increase in expenditure across the same period
- Currently, Malaysia sits as the seventh largest inbound market for Australia and fourth
largest for Western Australia, behind UK, Singapore and the UK
- From June 2015, visitors into Western Australia reached 75,200, a 16.8% increase from the
same year prior
In graph form, the larger move
upwards in expenditure in
Western Australia compared to
Australia is quite evident, as is
the upwards trend in visitation
numbers.
-
-
-
Malaysia is currently holding on to 25% of the total market share of international market
visitation into the state, with the highest market visiting Western Australia (out of all
Australian visitors) being Ireland with 35%
The purpose of visit for Malaysians is indeed a holiday at 54% stating this as their purpose of
travel with visiting friends and relatives at 36%. Students studying in Perth receiving annual
family visits may attribute to this
There is a relatively even split between ages of holiday makers from Malaysia with the age
bracket 45 – 69 years just tipping above the other brackets at 31%
Interesting, is that expenditure is outweighed by the 15 – 29 year age bracket at 47%
Overnight visitation to Experience Perth Region
When considering international visitor dispersal
throughout Western Australia, it is reported that 98%
travel through the Experience Perth region, due to the
arrivals and departures from the Perth international
airport. Australia’s South West ranks second in regions
visited with 11% of international visitors heading south
and some 2% of visitors heading north into the Australia’s
North West region
Market insights
Findings from Tourism Australia’s Consumer Demand Project indicate that Malaysian leisure
travellers look for (in order of importance) safety and security, value for money and interesting
attractions when choosing a holiday destination. The Great Barrier Reef, wildlife and cities are the
most appealing Australian attractions. Aquatic wildlife and shopping are the most preferred
experiences.
In 2014, 53% of visitors chose to fly with Asia X to Australia and 30% with Malaysian Airlines,
indicating a price conscious traveller. In terms of aviation performance, 2014 saw average loads at
74% and outside of peak periods, loads sat on average 60 – 75% capacity. This performance was due
to excessive capacity coupled with weaker demand associated with MH370 and MH17 incidents.
With this brings smaller fleets and adjusted pricing strategies with Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia X,
currently servicing 12/11 respective flights from Kuala Lumpur to Perth each week.
Online bookings for ground content such as accommodation, car rental, day tours and entrance
passes are growing rapidly as indicated above, and so is the use of social media in determining ideal
holiday destinations.
Within the retail travel network, commission levels remain at 10 -15% wholesale 5 – 10% for retail
bookings although there is no real distinction between a wholesale and a retail agent in Malaysia.
There are approximately 1,300 retail travel agents throughout the country and 300 selling Australian
product. Of these, about 20 partner with Tourism Australia and state tourism organisations, as
demonstrated with Aussie Specialist stands within retail agent booths at the Fair.
Summary
Generally, consumers in Malaysia are value-conscious and actively seek destination information and
deals before making travel purchases. It is due to this behaviour that Tourism WA and Experience
Perth can benefit from a presence at travel fairs such as the MATTA Travel Fair.
It provides a good platform for Experience Perth to conduct consumer direct sales promotion to the
Malaysian market and consumers attending the show are predisposed to travel, so are hungry for
information as to what Perth and Western Australia can offer them.
Consumers are opting for self drive itineraries and are keen to find a good offer or deal to secure the
booking. They are confident in booking online or at least seeking information on the products and
services they would like to incorporate into their itinerary but will consider booking through one of
the larger retail agents should the pricing of the overall package be cheaper than standard rates.
Sources
Tourism Australia Singapore Market Profile Year Ending September 2014
Tourism Western Australia International Market Profiles Year Ending June 2015
Tourism Western Australia Fast Facts Year Ending June 2015
Appendix:
Samples of retail agent flyers at the travel fair: