Malaysia: Travel mart for Muslims

By YVONNE LIM
yvonnelim@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Tour and travel operators from 50 countries that are offering packages for Muslims have come together for the first time in history for a global Islamic tourism forum at the World Islamic Tourism Mart 2012 (WITM 2012), which begins today until Saturday.

The travel mart includes two three-day exhibitions at PWTC a Premier Consumer Travel Fair, which is open to the public and a Business2Business (B2B) Travel Exchange exhibition, where international and domestic players in the industry can network.

A one-day conference featuring renowned speakers in the industry will be held today at the Seri Pacific Hotel here from 9am to 6pm.

“WITM 2012 is an avenue for various players in the Islamic tourism industry, from the consumer to hoteliers, the Government and private tourism organisations, to network.

“It is also a one-stop resource centre for Muslims to find travel packages at reasonable prices that will cater to their needs such as ensuring halal food and appropriate accommodation.

“There are over 1.7 billion Muslims worldwide and, therefore, Islamic tourism is an area that must be developed,” Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harunsaid at a press conference yesterday.

The travel fair will feature exhibits by participants from Muslim and non-Muslim countries such as Jordan, Iran, Maldives, UAE, Egypt, United States, Germany, France, India and China.

The exhibition is organised by MATTA in collaboration with the Tourism, Information, Communications and Culture and International Trade and Industry ministries and the Malaysian Association of Hotels, and is endorsed by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The Premier Consumer Travel Fair is open to the public for free.

Registration fees for the conference can be found on the WITM 2012 website (witm.matta.org.my).