Roaring celebration of Johor tourism

(From left) Tourism Johor director Zihan Ismail, Liow, Tan and MATTA chief executive officer Phua Tai Neng with Joh the mascot, after the Visit Johor 2020 press conference.

JOHOR has been announced as “Malaysia’s Favourite Destination” by the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) for the upcoming MATTA Fair.

Johor was presented as Malaysia’s Favourite Destination in the March 2016 MATTA Fair.

This was made even more significant by the fact that next year will be Visit Johor Year 2020.

This MATTA Fair, Tourism Johor will be introducing the Visit Johor Year 2020 logo along with its mascot, Joh, which is based on the Harimau Malaya and signifies Johoreans’ bravery and spirit of freedom.

Johor tourism, women, family and community development chairman Liow Cai Tung said, “The involvement of Tourism Johor is very meaningful. This time, we are coming in as the Johor Pavilion, where its concept based on the Bangunan Dato’ Jaffar Muhamad in Kota Iskandar.

“We aim to increase arrivals in Johor to 8.4 million travellers staying for at least one night, ” he said.

The Johor Pavilion will have 16 booths in Hall 5 featuring visuals depicting the state’s attractions.

Liow added, “We have 10 districts in Johor and each has its own uniqueness.”

Besides featuring the 10 districts, visitors can also look forward to a variety of 20 destinations and 20 events at the Johor Pavilion.

Twenty-two product owners from the state taking part in the fair will include eco- tourism operators, hotels and theme parks.

One of them is the Johor National Park.

“I hope more domestic tourists will visit the national park and I welcome more Malaysians to visit Johor, ” Liow said.

Yayasan Warisan Johor will also be showcasing Johor’s culture and traditions.

Festivals in each district will be promoted to highlight their uniqueness in food, culture and destinations.

Johor has also been ranked among the top two of the “Most Visited States” in the country by Tourism Malaysia with a record of 7.8 million arrivals in 2018.

MATTA Fair’s collaboration with Tourism Johor is slated to increase the state’s brand visibility and capture holidaymakers’ interest at the fair.

Through promotions at the fair, visitor arrivals to Johor are poised to reach its target of 8.4 million in 2020.

MATTA president, Datuk Tan Kok Liang said, “Based on the promotions I have seen, I am pleased to see places beyond the usual favourites and not so well-known cultural places being promoted.”

MATTA and Tourism Johor have been proactive in attracting more visitors to the state.

Efforts have included a collaboration with the MATTA Johor Chapter in putting together travel and tour packages based on tourism segments to meet the expectations of domestic and foreign tourists for sustainable and consistent domestic and inbound tourism growth.

MATTA Fair September 2019 will open from 10am to 9pm daily.

Admission is RM4 per person and free for children below 12.

For further details, go to Johor Tourism’s Facebook page.

-thestar online.