MATTA Connect 2026 at Ipoh Convention Centre: Perak Hosts Malaysia's B2B Travel Marketplace
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is bringing the second edition of MATTA Connect to the Ipoh Convention Centre (ICC) on 29 and 30 July 2026, making Perak the host state for what MATTA calls Malaysia's premier Business-to-Business (B2B) travel marketplace. Registration for travel-trade participants is open until 18 July 2026 via mattaconnect.com, after which the delegate list closes. Unlike the consumer-facing MATTA Fair, MATTA Connect is a closed-room marketplace where international buyers meet Malaysian sellers in scheduled appointments.
Why MOTAC's Minister is at the closing dinner
Yang Berhormat Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, the Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), has confirmed attendance as guest of honour at the closing dinner on 30 July 2026, where he will deliver the keynote. The ministerial presence signals that the government sees MATTA Connect as a strategic lever for inbound tourism, not just a trade association event. MATTA President Nigel Wong framed it in those terms in the association's pre-event statement, noting that the inaugural edition had established the platform as a venue for "meaningful collaborations and new business opportunities" and that the minister's attendance reinforces "strong industry-government collaboration in driving Malaysia's tourism growth."
The two-day programme is built around structured B2B business-matching sessions — pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and sellers — alongside a Business Forum featuring destination partners and industry experts. Topics on the forum agenda cover emerging tourism trends, digital transformation, innovation and market opportunities. The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) is attending, bringing tourism leaders from across Southeast Asia and widening the conversation beyond the bilateral Malaysia buyer-seller match into a regional one.
The Pre-Tour Programme that puts Perak in front of buyers
Ahead of the main event, selected semi-hosted international buyers will join a five-day, four-night Pre-Tour Programme from 24 to 28 July 2026, which is the smartest piece of design in the whole event. Buyers are taken through Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar, the Lenggong Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Royal Belum Rainforest before they sit down to business meetings. The logic is simple: a buyer who has eaten Ipoh white coffee, walked the Lenggong archaeology museum and heard gibbons in Belum is a far better advocate for Perak in their home market than one who has only read a brochure. By the time the B2B sessions open on 29 July, the international buyers already have first-hand destination context.
Supporting partners named for the 2026 edition include Tourism Perak, Penang Global Tourism and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the latter adding a Greater Bay Area angle to the buyer-seller pool. RHB Bank Berhad is the Official Bank Partner. On the accommodation side, MATTA has lined up 1969 D'Kelly Hotel, MU Hotel, AC Hotel by Marriott, Hotel Excelsior and Weil Hotel, all in Ipoh, as partner properties.
Who should register and what it costs
MATTA Connect is aimed at travel-trade professionals: outbound and inbound tour operators, destination management companies, airlines, hotels, attractions, tourism boards and travel service providers. It is not a consumer event; there are no walk-up ticket sales and no public holiday package booths. For buyers, the value is access to pre-scheduled appointments with Malaysian sellers in one room over two days. For sellers, the value is qualified international buyer traffic and the ASEANTA regional network. Registration closes on 18 July 2026 via the official site, and MATTA's Secretariat can be reached at +603-2774 1150 for enquiry on fees and packages.
For Ipoh, hosting MATTA Connect is a meaningful signal of intent. The city's UNESCO Creative City of Music designation, the Lenggong Valley World Heritage Site upstream, and the Belum rainforest corridor give Perak a tourism product story distinct from the usual Kuala Lumpur-Penang circuit. Whether that story converts to bookings depends on what happens in the B2B rooms at ICC on 29 and 30 July.
Practical Details
- Dates: 29 to 30 July 2026 (Pre-Tour Programme 24 to 28 July)
- Registration closes: 18 July 2026
- Venue: Ipoh Convention Centre (ICC), Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil, Greentown, 30450 Ipoh, Perak
- Format: B2B travel marketplace — pre-scheduled appointments, Business Forum, closing dinner
- Guest of honour: YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia
- Audience: Travel-trade professionals (buyers, sellers, DMCs, airlines, hotels, tourism boards)
- Website: mattaconnect.com
- Secretariat: +603-2774 1150
