Fair-ly Disappointing MATTA Travel Fair 2010!

Just a short update on my travel plan this year to Beijing.

The 2nd Malaysia’s Travel Fair of the year 2010 or MATTA Fair was held on 3rd to 5th of September, 6 months after the first in March. Over 170 travel related exhibitors mostly travel agents set up 835 booths for the fair within a total space of over 20,000 square meters in Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Over 80,000 people were expected to flock in this year to book their holidays packages worth more than RM100 Million of total value!

Normally you could get the cheapest possible price  during the fair unless you risk your dream holidays by waiting until last minute when and if any travel agencies ‘push’ remaining seats of certain tour, if any, with an extraordinary low package price. I wasn’t hoping for that though.

However, it was a disappointing MATTA Fair to me! I didn’t book any package to Beijing at the end of the day… 🙁

Why? These are why I failed to book tour for my Beijing holidays:

1. Misleading promotion package price. The ‘Offer’ price of RM1,600.00 for a 8D7N Beijing tour might sounds ‘cheap’ initially but after adding in other tipping, taxes, optional tour and etc. the price became no less than RM2,900.00++ per person!
2. I wish to visit Beijing and Xian but not Beijing and Tianjin or Chende or Datong. Unfortunately it is no longer available.
3. All package contains at least 5 to 8 shopping stops! And I would refer them as travel hoax! Shopping stops are itineraries that included in the tour where you are brought to factories or shops producing and selling either silk, tea, jade, pearl, medicine or other local products. You are not forced but pestered to buy those products from them to earn commissions. I don’t want it no more but can’t! Even if I’m willing to pay RM3,300.00 for the best package available, there are still 5 shopping stops… 🙁 This is why the package price offered by different travel agencies were so much different, ranged from RM2,200.00 to RM3,300.00
4. I’m still an avid self-traveler who cares most on relaxation and flexibility on itinerary during travel which is impossible for the holiday packaged tour. Eventhough guided tour is more suitable for my fellow senior group member (my mother in law), I still couldn’t accept the fact that I have to wake up at 6:30am every morning! and
5. For a package of RM3,300.00 with still 5 shopping hoax, it is way out of my budget.

I traveled to Shanghai by group package. I knew how the travel agencies organize tour and the pro’s and con’s of packaged travel against traveling by my own (as what I did for my Europe tour). If you are bringing your old folks for a holiday to China, go ahead to book a all-inclusive guided holidays package with agencies (don’t expect your parents to explore the city like what I did in London). Otherwise, book your air tiket and start planning your travel itinerary by your own and travel by yourself.

For my Beijing travel plan, I would leave it until next year after my Eastern Europe trip when I get a good deal from Air Asia. 🙂 – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog.

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.