ºღஐ Empress Blog Couture ஐღº: MATTA Fair Sept 2012

Today is already the last day of Matta Fair for year 2012...Better be fast before you missed out some of the great deals.

What is the MATTA Fair?

MATTA Fair is the largest travel exhibition in Malaysia, and this exhibition comes alive twice a year in selected states in Malaysia. If you’re looking for incredible travel and hotel bargains for both local and overseas destinations all under one roof, then you might just find it at MATTA Fair! Since its debut in 1991, MATTA Fair has gained massive popularity so if you’re planning on going this year, expect it to be jam-packed with exhibitors showcasing their greatest bargains, and aspiring travelers dashing about in the search for great travel bargains.

MATTA Fair in 2012

The first MATTA fair 2012 was held sometime during March, and the second MATTA Fair 2012 is just around the corner to greet you with great travel and hotel deals. However, there is an entrance fee of RM4 for adults (everyone above the age of 12), while children under the age of twelve goes in for free.

Here’s the date and venue of the upcoming MATTA Fair :

Location, Date, Venue

Kuala Lumpur : 7 – 9 September 2012 / PWTC, KL (10am – 9pm)

Perak : 7 – 9 september 2012 / Ipoh Parade

Pahang : 14 – 16 September 2012 / Kuantan Parade

Travel Categories & Exhibitors

There will be plenty of travel deals in various categories for you to choose from. Some of these travel categories include :

Beach & Coast Tours
City Break Tours
Club Med Tours
Cultural & Historical Tours
Diving & Water Sports Tours
Escorted Tours
Family Tours
Festivals & Events Tours
Free & Easy Tours
Guided Tours
Honeymoon Tours
Independent Tours
Muslim Tours
Nature & Wildlife Tours
Rail Tours
Relaxing Retreats Tours
River Cruises
Shopping Tours
Skiing & Winter Sports Tours
Theme Parks Tours
Water World

…and many more! As for exhibitors, check the MATTA Fair website right here for the complete list of

exhibitors.

MATTA Fair tips – What to look out for

MATTA Fair is an admirable way to promote tourism and help Malaysian citizens, tour operators and flight companies to come together under one roof to purchase / sell great travel bargains. However, this tour exhibition has a downside to it. Every year, newspapers will publish reports on local folks losing their money to Random-Travel-and-Tours when the promised tour did not materialize, or last minute tour cancellation (with no refunds, of course).

So if you are visiting the MATTA Fair this time around, make sure you read these tips before swiping your credit card for that ridiculously cheap London-Paris tour organized by Random-Travel-and-Tour !

Tight budget? Give it a skip

You’re dying to travel to Korea in the hopes of meeting your k-pop idol…when lo and behold! MATTA Fair promises plenty of cheap travel deals to Korea. We agree that cheap deals are a great way to Save plenty of Money, but if your budget couldn’t hack it, we say let it go. MATTA Fair is a yearly event after all, you can start saving now and fulfill your wish next year! Try using our budgeting tool to determine how much you can save a month.

Research, research, research

Do your research before heading to MATTA Fair! MATTA always post the list of exhibitors a few weeks prior to the fair, so have a look and give those not-so-well-known ones a double check. How? You can try searching for their facebook page (and look for any complaints) and their website. Be extra wary for travel agencies and tour operators who do not showcase their address and contact number anywhere on the website. Similarly, visit MATTA Fair’s facebook page and website, as well as MATTA website for any updates. To lodge a complaint, give MATTA a call or send a report to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia here.

Purchase only from participating tour operators (it’s safer that way)

Here’s the thing, the difference between the tour operators inside the hall (the participating merchants) and those who set up booths elsewhere is that basically, the ones inside paid for their booth at the MATTA Fair. Although there is no warranty (these operators could still go bust / your travel could still be cancelled), MATTA does oversee and check upon these participants before letting them participate. So your risk will beslightly lower when purchasing from the participating tour operators. But hey, we won’t stop you from looking for bargains from the non-participating operators, just remember to buy at your own risk!

Have a friend who’s been there and done that? Bring them along!

If you have friends or relatives who have been to plenty of MATTA Fairs and already know a travel agent or two? Bring them along to minimize your risk of getting fooled into a bad deal.

Consider getting Travel Insurance, but not just from anybody

To guard yourself against cancelled holidays, tour operators going missing/bankrupt, scams etc., consider picking up some Travel Insurance. We are still working on our Cheap Travel Insurance guide, but for now, just remember to shop around not just for good flight deals, but good travel insurance deals as well. If you’re picking up a holiday from a tour operator, don’t just take on their ‘package travel insurance deal’. You can quite often get cheaper coverage elsewhere (your bank / insurer directly for example), or higher coverage!