The Matta Fair September takes place at the Putra World Trade Center or PWTC in Kuala Lumpur for three days over a weekend and is the last big travel fair in Malaysia for the year-end holidays.
For those who do not know, this is Malaysia's largest travel fair that takes place twice a year here in KL city, where over 100,000 visitors attend the fair over three days.
Matta Fair September will also target the year-end holidays for Malaysians and anyone wanting some good deals on holiday packages and flight tickets around Malaysia and the world.
The year-end in Malaysia is the most popular time that many people will go for long holidays or vacations due to the festive seasons and the extra-long school holidays.
The year-end in Malaysia is the most popular time that many people will go for long holidays or vacations due to the festive seasons and the extra-long school holidays.
Matta Fair September
As always, four or five main halls are available during the Matta Fair, each dedicated to a specific travel area.
Hall 1 and Hall 2 are dedicated to international travel, whereas Hall 3 and Hall 4 will focus on Southeast Asia and Malaysia.
At times, special halls are open for promotions for Umrah Packages or other special events held during the travel fair.
That being said, the area is enormous, and there is much walking during the fair. So one needs to pace themselves when visiting here.
At any time, various tour companies and tour-related businesses would take up at least a thousand booths.
But you will find something other than 1000 different vendors; it just means that booth space where the larger tour companies may take up ten or 12 booth spaces while smaller companies may take one or two booth spaces.
Usually, all the main Malaysian travel agents participate at the fair, including the larger companies like Harper's Travel, Apple Vacations, PYOTravel, CIT Travel, Parlo Tours, GTT and Malaysia Harmony, just to name a few.
There are, of course, medium-scale Malaysian travel and tour agents and smaller-scale ones, which are usually seen doing local or domestic travel packages.
Most of the larger tour companies are found in Halls one and two, while the medium to small is seen at Halls three and four.
So if you plan to go to Africa for a luxury safari holiday, you will have to see those travel agents in Hall 1 versus asking a small company in hall three about this.
Some agents tend to brand themselves as specialists in specific areas; hence, it is your discretion to check with others before committing any purchases.
I am a specialist writer for travel fairs, but again, there is no certification for this, so you will only read this from what I write here.
The tourism boards will always be at the Matta Fair, just that at each fair, a country is selected to be the favourite destination for two regions, Asian and International.
Therefore, the selected country will be promoted, and the respective tourism board will provide special shows, features and even artist appearances during the fairs.
The tourism boards participating are just for information purposes. They do not sell packages, as many would think, but their job is to provide information to visitors who inquire with them during the fair.
For example, if you want to visit Komodo Island in Indonesia, you would have to go to Indonesia Tourism's booth to get information about how to get to Komodo Island. Then they may send you to one of their representatives who operates a resort or service to Komodo.
You can only get more information from there via a DVD or brochures. Next, you book via their website or find a travel agent selling this package.
Tourism boards here usually promote destinations in their respective countries; therefore, when you visit the Japan National Tourism Organization or JNTO booths, they will have many booths promoting various parts of Japan.
Each booth will have its own respective tourism department or private organization, and different companies will participate in each Matta Fair. You will also find booths promoting even the railway system in Japan.
One of the sought-after promotions, many will look forward to what the various airlines will be offering as promotions. But in reality, usually, international airlines will work with travel agents to offer promotions.
So this means when you see Qatar Airways promotions all over the Matta Fair, Qatar Airways still has a ticketing booth there. And some deals may want to fly business class with Qatar Airways.
The airlines work with the participating local travel agents by offering them the promotion of airline tickets to be sold, either individually or packaged with tours.
Therefore, someone like 12Fly will offer discounted flights to London, Paris or Rome via Qatar Airways. The promotions will also be based on a fixed duration period and are sometimes not valid on certain days.
With that, the consumer needs to check with the agent on the departure and arrival dates for the airline ticket promotions at the Matta Fair.
These promotional airline tickets are also packaged with tours which can bring down the overall pricing, and most of the time, those wanting to fly long haul will come to the Matta Fair to seek these airline tickets.
The long haul is in flights from six to twelve hours long, and the ultra-long-haul is over 12 hours long.
In some cases, business class tickets are also sold as promotions, and this is probably one of the best places to check as frequent flyers would know that flying more than six hours in an economy seat is not very comfortable.
On a side note, some airlines offer passengers Premium Economy seats which are more comfortable than the standard, with almost 5 to 7 inches of extra legroom.
Budget Airline Tickets at Matta Fair September
However, budget airlines like AirAsia will sometimes participate and run instant promotions, which are only available at the Matta Fair; when you buy your flight tickets there, you will be entitled to extra discounts for your flights.
In most cases, they will not be physically there, but they will tie up with travel agents to promote their discounted air tickets based on peak periods and travel dates.
Among some budget airlines to look out for are FireFly and MasWings. Hybrid airline Malindo Air has since been turned into a full-service airline; hence fewer promotions are available.
Other country budget airlines like Nok Air, Scoot and Batik Air rarely participate in the Matta Fair.
Cruise Packages at Matta Fair September
As cruise tourism is the new trend among some, there has been an increase in this genre of travel where many are now looking to exotic and far destinations to do cruise tourism.
The first name that comes to mind when you think about a cruise is usually Star Cruises, but to date, there has been a new player in the industry called Costa Cruise.
This Italian cruise company owns a couple of cruise ships operating the Southeast Asia route around Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
International Cruise Packages at Matta fair include big names like Royal Caribbean Cruise, Disney Cruise, Norwegian Cruise and Princess Cruises, which all operate luxury cruise packages to many interesting destinations.
Usually, these cruise packages are priced from RM8,000 and above, which includes flights to the departing and berthing ports with an all-in package.
This is one of the most luxurious escapes you can do for those wanting to sail the seas and spend a good one to two weeks away.
Muslim Packages at Matta Fair September
One of the most sought-after and popular packages is the Muslim Packages at the Matta Fair, where quite a several travel agents have specialized packages that cater to Muslim travellers.
These packages include all-halal cuisines, prayer stops and sometimes even Muslim tour guides that speak English.
Even new countries like Japan have indicated that they have been improving their Muslim facilities over the last couple of years to target Muslim travellers, especially from Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya have surau, mosques and halal restaurants catering to this genre and are currently one of the sought-after Muslim packages in Japan.
Some Muslim Packages at Matta Fair include China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Vietnam, the Middle East, and many other interesting destinations.
I have even seen Muslim Packages to Europe at the fair, so anything is almost possible nowadays. Agents that specialize in this are Apple Muslim Holidays, Felda Travel and some other tour agents.
You should also speak to the representatives of these agents to get all the information before booking your tour packages.
Hall 1 and Hall 2 are dedicated to international travel, whereas Hall 3 and Hall 4 will focus on Southeast Asia and Malaysia.
At times, special halls are open for promotions for Umrah Packages or other special events held during the travel fair.
That being said, the area is enormous, and there is much walking during the fair. So one needs to pace themselves when visiting here.
 |
| Visitors at the Matta Fair. |
But you will find something other than 1000 different vendors; it just means that booth space where the larger tour companies may take up ten or 12 booth spaces while smaller companies may take one or two booth spaces.
Travel Agents at Matta Fair September
Usually, all the main Malaysian travel agents participate at the fair, including the larger companies like Harper's Travel, Apple Vacations, PYOTravel, CIT Travel, Parlo Tours, GTT and Malaysia Harmony, just to name a few.
There are, of course, medium-scale Malaysian travel and tour agents and smaller-scale ones, which are usually seen doing local or domestic travel packages.
Most of the larger tour companies are found in Halls one and two, while the medium to small is seen at Halls three and four.
So if you plan to go to Africa for a luxury safari holiday, you will have to see those travel agents in Hall 1 versus asking a small company in hall three about this.
Some agents tend to brand themselves as specialists in specific areas; hence, it is your discretion to check with others before committing any purchases.
I am a specialist writer for travel fairs, but again, there is no certification for this, so you will only read this from what I write here.
 |
| View of the entrance to the Matta Fair 2016. |
Tourism Boards at Matta Fair September
The tourism boards will always be at the Matta Fair, just that at each fair, a country is selected to be the favourite destination for two regions, Asian and International.
Therefore, the selected country will be promoted, and the respective tourism board will provide special shows, features and even artist appearances during the fairs.
The tourism boards participating are just for information purposes. They do not sell packages, as many would think, but their job is to provide information to visitors who inquire with them during the fair.
For example, if you want to visit Komodo Island in Indonesia, you would have to go to Indonesia Tourism's booth to get information about how to get to Komodo Island. Then they may send you to one of their representatives who operates a resort or service to Komodo.
You can only get more information from there via a DVD or brochures. Next, you book via their website or find a travel agent selling this package.
Tourism boards here usually promote destinations in their respective countries; therefore, when you visit the Japan National Tourism Organization or JNTO booths, they will have many booths promoting various parts of Japan.
Each booth will have its own respective tourism department or private organization, and different companies will participate in each Matta Fair. You will also find booths promoting even the railway system in Japan.
 |
| Visitors check out the many travel packages. |
Cheap Airline Tickets at Matta Fair September
One of the sought-after promotions, many will look forward to what the various airlines will be offering as promotions. But in reality, usually, international airlines will work with travel agents to offer promotions.
So this means when you see Qatar Airways promotions all over the Matta Fair, Qatar Airways still has a ticketing booth there. And some deals may want to fly business class with Qatar Airways.
The airlines work with the participating local travel agents by offering them the promotion of airline tickets to be sold, either individually or packaged with tours.
Therefore, someone like 12Fly will offer discounted flights to London, Paris or Rome via Qatar Airways. The promotions will also be based on a fixed duration period and are sometimes not valid on certain days.
With that, the consumer needs to check with the agent on the departure and arrival dates for the airline ticket promotions at the Matta Fair.
 |
| Performers take the stage during the travel fair. |
The long haul is in flights from six to twelve hours long, and the ultra-long-haul is over 12 hours long.
In some cases, business class tickets are also sold as promotions, and this is probably one of the best places to check as frequent flyers would know that flying more than six hours in an economy seat is not very comfortable.
On a side note, some airlines offer passengers Premium Economy seats which are more comfortable than the standard, with almost 5 to 7 inches of extra legroom.
 |
| International Hall, 1 at the Matta Fair, is one of the busiest places here. |
However, budget airlines like AirAsia will sometimes participate and run instant promotions, which are only available at the Matta Fair; when you buy your flight tickets there, you will be entitled to extra discounts for your flights.
In most cases, they will not be physically there, but they will tie up with travel agents to promote their discounted air tickets based on peak periods and travel dates.
Among some budget airlines to look out for are FireFly and MasWings. Hybrid airline Malindo Air has since been turned into a full-service airline; hence fewer promotions are available.
Other country budget airlines like Nok Air, Scoot and Batik Air rarely participate in the Matta Fair.
 |
| The crowd during the Malaysia Matta Fair. |
As cruise tourism is the new trend among some, there has been an increase in this genre of travel where many are now looking to exotic and far destinations to do cruise tourism.
The first name that comes to mind when you think about a cruise is usually Star Cruises, but to date, there has been a new player in the industry called Costa Cruise.
This Italian cruise company owns a couple of cruise ships operating the Southeast Asia route around Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
International Cruise Packages at Matta fair include big names like Royal Caribbean Cruise, Disney Cruise, Norwegian Cruise and Princess Cruises, which all operate luxury cruise packages to many interesting destinations.
Usually, these cruise packages are priced from RM8,000 and above, which includes flights to the departing and berthing ports with an all-in package.
This is one of the most luxurious escapes you can do for those wanting to sail the seas and spend a good one to two weeks away.
 |
| Visitors at the linkway connecting Halls 1 & 2 with 3 & 4. |
One of the most sought-after and popular packages is the Muslim Packages at the Matta Fair, where quite a several travel agents have specialized packages that cater to Muslim travellers.
These packages include all-halal cuisines, prayer stops and sometimes even Muslim tour guides that speak English.
Even new countries like Japan have indicated that they have been improving their Muslim facilities over the last couple of years to target Muslim travellers, especially from Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya have surau, mosques and halal restaurants catering to this genre and are currently one of the sought-after Muslim packages in Japan.
Some Muslim Packages at Matta Fair include China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Vietnam, the Middle East, and many other interesting destinations.
I have even seen Muslim Packages to Europe at the fair, so anything is almost possible nowadays. Agents that specialize in this are Apple Muslim Holidays, Felda Travel and some other tour agents.
You should also speak to the representatives of these agents to get all the information before booking your tour packages.
 |
| Large crowd on day 1 of the Matta Fair. |
Date: Around September
Venue: PWTC, Kuala Lumpur
Time: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm
Though travel has always been one of the must-do things for just about anyone, there is always a new destination or place that one would love to visit.
With the emergence of new budget airlines, types of accommodations and infrastructure in developing countries, it is now easier to travel. This is thanks to the internet, which has been the leading source of information for most travellers.
The Matta Fair is also one of the main platforms that consumers can use to visit for information or even purchase travel packages to just about anywhere in the world.
For first-timers here, seeing so many travel packages offered will be an overwhelming experience. You should know that you need to research before buying anything blindly.
If you still need to learn, read this article on Matta Fair Questions and Answers, written by me, to highlight the main questions consumers are asking.
With the emergence of new budget airlines, types of accommodations and infrastructure in developing countries, it is now easier to travel. This is thanks to the internet, which has been the leading source of information for most travellers.
For first-timers here, seeing so many travel packages offered will be an overwhelming experience. You should know that you need to research before buying anything blindly.
If you still need to learn, read this article on Matta Fair Questions and Answers, written by me, to highlight the main questions consumers are asking.
Conclusion
Alternatively, some other travel fairs take place in Malaysia: the MITM Travel Mart or Malaysia International Travel Mart, which only sells outbound travel packages and is held around Kuala Lumpur around August.
However, the Matta Fair September is still one of the most sought-after travel fairs due to the year-end holidays. For the first time, you should know some Matta Fair tips and tricks to prepare yourself when you visit.
Malaysians may travel more nowadays; hence by the first half of the year, they would have already travelled somewhere, and for the year-end holidays, they will visit the September Matta Fair to see what is on sale.