00:00It is my privilege to welcome you all to the 57th edition of the Mata-Fair.
00:24Mata has always been proud to serve as the voice of the spacious tourism industry.
00:28And this Mata-Fair is a reflection of how dynamic and ever-evolving our industry is,
00:34demonstrating the innovation and adaptability of our members to meet the changing needs of modern travellers.
00:41If you go to any of our halls today, whether it's level 1, 2 or 3,
00:46you're going to see every fair something different happening.
00:50You're going to see travel agents and tourism stakeholders innovating creatively,
00:56offering new products, new services, upgrading their game.
01:02And ladies and gentlemen, if you've seen the Mata-Fair over the last couple of years,
01:06you'll notice that it's not because of the Mata-Fair that our tourism stakeholders have become,
01:12you know, so advanced, so modern and so competitive.
01:16It is because of our exhibitors that Mata-Fair has become the success it is today.
01:21Tourism as one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries has demonstrated remarkable resilience.
01:30In 2024, global tourism achieved almost a full recovery,
01:35reaching 99% of pre-pandemic international rivals
01:39after weathering the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
01:44Malaysia too has gained the benefits of this recovery.
01:47In 2024, Malaysia welcomed 38 million international visitors,
01:53surpassing pre-pandemic levels,
01:56with tourism receipts rising to a record of 106.8 billion ringgit ratio.
02:02As a valued part of the Ministry and Tourism Malaysia,
02:05Mata has played an essential role in strengthening inbound tourism
02:09and building momentum for the Visits Malaysia campaign.
02:13This platform allows travel agents,
02:17co-operators and industry players
02:19to showcase Malaysia's unique offerings
02:22and connect with international destinations,
02:26thereby fostering innovation, collaboration and growth across the tourism ecosystem.
02:32I am pleased to note the participation of state tourism bodies
02:36as well as industry players
02:38who are presenting creative and diverse travel packages.
02:42By focusing on domestic tourism,
02:45these efforts encourage relations
02:47to explore our own unique destinations,
02:51cultural traditions and heritage.
02:53Go! Go!
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